Revenge of the Skulls
by Anime-Queen-2011
Summary: Sequel to War Between Gangs. Jaden & friends seemed to have moved on from their lives as gang members. But what happens when an old, violent gang comes back & demands retribution by taking out all remaining Blood & Crib leaders? JxA RxR
1. How Much Has Changed

_Hey everyone! No, your eyes are not deceiving you. This is the sequel to _War Between Gangs_!!!_

_Okay, now I did not plan this sequel when I finished the first one. I was PMed and asked to write a sequel and then, curse my brain, the sequel formed in my head so here it is! For those _Wintertime Love_ fans, this sequel is also the reason I postponed updates to finish my other two stories. _

_Anyway, I'm done ranting. Just enjoy my new story!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess, she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE!!!! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

The sky was clear, the air was cool, and birds chirped happily all around me. I was laying on my back with my arms folded behind my head, eyes closed and chewing on a blade of grass. My legs were crossed at the ankles; just relaxing.

Suddenly I felt someone staring down at me, a sense I gained in my time as a Blood.

Slowly I opened my eyes to stare up into two beautiful clear, innocent orbs. A soft smile touched my lips.

"Hey, Beautiful," I greeted my visitor. They smiled and leaned down, their blonde hair surrounding my head.

"Hey yourself." They pressed their lips to mine briefly before pulling back. I smiled like a goofball and pushed myself back so my head rested in their lap. They ran their fingers through my hair. We sat there in comfortable silence for a few minutes until my visitor spoke up.

"Hey, Jay?" My eyes were closed again, so I opened them slowly to stare up at them.

"Yeah, Lex?" Alexis Rhodes looked down at me. She reached and tucked some of her blonde hair behind her ear.

"Are you okay? You've been really quiet lately." I frowned and tilted my head down, away from her face.

"It's been a year now…," I whispered. Alexis didn't answer but I knew she understood what I meant. She reached out her left hand to grab mine, tightly lacing our fingers together. She squeezed my fingers tightly. I sighed and relaxed slightly.

It's been a little more than a year since huge Blood-Crib war that destroyed nearly a third of Ochi City. Grant it, all of that damage was caused by the gun-bombs the Cribs possessed. Not that they _knew_ their guns were bombs. Their now-dead leader Adrian had been the one to plant the bombs and was the one who caused so much death in that war.

But he was killed by the Bloods own leader, my best friend and practically father, Mark. He gave his life to protect Ochi City and its denizens from the Cribs and their ways. After the war had ended, the Cribs and Bloods disbanded and Ochi City was finally free of gangs.

"Actually, that's why I came and got you," Alexis said. I blinked and looked up at her in confusion. She just smiled and lightly shoved my head up with her right hand. Frowning, I sat up. She stood up and pulled me with her. Then, without saying a word, she began to pull me away from my spot on the cliff and back toward Duel Academy.

"What's going on?" I asked. She just giggled and turned around, grabbing my other hand so she was walking backwards.

"Relax, you'll love what I'm about to show you." I scowled, which just caused Alexis to laugh. As we walked, I saw the gold locket that Julie had given Alexis last year bounce against her Obelisk Blue blouse. That locket ended up saving her life when Imayoh, a Crib female leader who was obsessed with killing my little sister Jess to avenge her brother Aaron, tried to shoot Jess but Alexis took the hit instead.

That locket, you won't believe it, actually belonged to a different girl. Not Julie either. It belonged to a girl I met in my old orphanage. Her name was Kaylee. It was her mother's and when she heard that Jess and I were running away from the orphanage, she gave it to me for luck. She was like another sister to me; she was about seven then. I really cared for her.

That's why I gave Julie the necklace when I found Kaylee in an ally a few years later, dead. I didn't like the reminder. I actually forgot about it until I saw it around Alexis' neck with a bullet in it. A friend of Nathan, Julie's father, was able to fix it like new and now Alexis always wore it. Did she know about Kaylee? Of course, but I needed to remember the good things about Kaylee, not just her death.

"Are we almost there?" I asked after a minute. Alexis just giggled as we broke out of the forest.

"Yeah." She stopped, which caused me to stop.

"Well, what did you want to show me?" She just giggled again. Suddenly I was blinded by two hands across my eyes. Instinct told me to flip the person and probably break their neck. That is, until, I heard the voice.

"Guess who?"

It was a southern voice.

"Oh my God! Jesse!" I gasped and whirled around, his hands falling from my eyes. Sure enough, there stood my very best friend, Jesse Andersen. Who I haven't seen in more than a year.

He hadn't changed a bit. He still had bushy teal hair and bright emerald green eyes. But he was dressed differently, out of all the black clothes we Blood leaders wore. He stood in front of my in baggy jeans, a blue muscle shirt, and a denim jacket. He had black sunglasses pushed up into his hair and a blood red ring around his neck on a silver chain. It was the ring all three Blood leaders wore that symbolized we were the leader.

I had mine on a keychain in my pocket. Mark's, which Jesse insisted on giving me, I kept in a chest with other memorabilia in my dorm room.

I smiled like an idiot and hugged Jesse tightly, who laughed and hugged me back.

"It's been forever!" I said when we broke apart. Jesse nodded, smiling similarly to me.

"Yeah."

_**xXx**_

"Aww, Jesse! She's adorable!" Alexis cooed, looking at the picture in my hand. Jesse smiled at her from across the table. We were in the Slifer cafeteria, where the rest of the gang was. They were happy to see Jesse again and couldn't wait to hear how everyone else was doing.

"She has your eyes," I said. He just continued to smile and took a sip of his drink. The picture Alexis and I were talking about was the picture of Jesse's baby girl. He and his long time love interest, Julie Carter, had a baby only a little more than four months ago. She was cute, even just in that picture. It was of her and her mother only a few days ago. They were sitting out in the backyard of Julie's father's house, where all of them lived. Both of them were smiling up at the camera. The baby had curly teal hair and bright emerald green eyes.

They named her Maria Melanie Andersen.

"So, Julie named your daughter after Maria, right?" Syrus asked. Jesse nodded as he reached out for the picture. I slid it into his hand. He took it and slipped it into the inner pocket of his jacket.

"Yeah. She thought it would be nice and I liked the idea. I chose her middle name."

"For her mom?" Hassleberry asked, chewing on his straw. He nodded again.

"Yup."

"So, what's new with everyone? I mean, besides being parents," I said. Jesse smirked and leaned back against the wall, kicking his legs up on the rest of the bench.

"Well, Nathan is working for the Ochi City police now as a homicide investigator." I raised an eyebrow.

"Ohh, fancy." Jesse rolled his eyes at my playful tone and continued.

"I haven't heard from Jim in about a month. Last thing I knew was he was in Australia, straightening things out with friends and family." He twirled his glass around, causing his pop to tease the rim. "Chris and Emmy I just talked to two weeks ago; they watched Maria while Julie and I went out."

"So they're just babysitters?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Nah, Chris is helping out as an instructor at a local karate studio. Emmy though mainly hangs out at their apartment that Nathan helped them get. I see her more often than not. She's always at our place with Julie and Maria."

"So Julie just stays home to take care of Maria?" Alexis asked. Jesse got a kind of guilty look on his face.

"Actually, so do I. Nathan has plenty of money, both from his work as a gunsmith and as a police investigator. So I just stay home." He sounded guilty-like he had committed a crime.

Which, you know, I know for a fact he had done. But that isn't the story here.

"There's nothing wrong with that. I think that's sweet," Alexis said. He gave her a charming smile before he set his drink down, ignoring it completely.

"So, why are you here anyway? It's been over a year since I've seen you. Why the sudden visit?" I asked. Jesse sighed.

"Julie's idea. Like I just said, I've been spending a lot of time at home. I guess you could say that she has been getting annoyed that I don't leave the house," he explained.

"But you said that Emmy watched Maria while you guys were out," Hassleberry said.

"Okay, allow me to rephrase: I don't leave the house _without _her," he amended with a sigh. I chuckled, which caused him to glare at me.

"You overprotective fool," I said.

"Shut up." He threw a wad of napkins at me, hitting me in the face; I laughed harder.

"So, she just told you to go visit Jaden so she could be rid of you for a few weeks?" Chazz said. Jesse nodded.

"Pretty much." I clapped my hands together.

"Works for me! You can stalk me around all my classes, that'd be loads of fun." I was smiling hugely, which made him and everyone laugh at me. They can laugh all they want; I was ecstatic to see my best friend again after over a year.

"Hey, what's up with Jess and your brother?" he asked suddenly. My smile fell slightly.

"Jess called me just last week. She's okay."

"Your brother?" He didn't seem to letting up anytime soon. Whenever we talked, I usually avoided talking about him. I shrugged.

"Tony is…okay, I suppose. I haven't actually met him," I admitted.

"Wait. You've never met the man your baby sister is living with?" Bastion asked. A frown etched itself on my face.

"I didn't like the idea; she was the one who convinced me to allow it. She's been fine, saying he's a great guy, so I can't deny I'm thankful to him."

"How come you've never met him?" Aster asked.

"I went home last summer with Lex. That's why I haven't seen anyone in over a year," I explained. Jesse rested his head on his fist.

"So, you trust Tony?" I shrugged and looked at him.

"Guess I do."

_**xXx**_

_Umm…weird ending…but I like it!_

_Hope you liked the very first chapter for __Revenge of the Skulls__!!!_

_Review, review, review!!!!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	2. First Attack

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess; she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE!!!! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that isn't Jess are also mine. :)**_

_**xXx**_

_**Narrative POV**_

"Do I really need to wear this strange get-up?" Jesse asked. Jaden tried to suppress his laughter, resulting in a smirk on his face.

Jesse was looking at himself in a mirror in Jaden's dorm. Because he was just visiting but he would be following Jaden around, he had been forced to wear a spare Obelisk uniform. This uniform was very different from the ones more commonly seen around Duel Academy.

His outfit consisted of black pants, brown boots, a white shirt with ruffled long sleeves, and a blue vest he left unbuttoned in the front.

"What's wrong with it? It looks good on you," Jaden said, his suppressed laughter evident in his voice. Jesse shot him a sour look. He sighed and smoothed his hands over his chest, looking at the mirror again.

"I guess its okay," he admitted. Jaden smiled and threw his arm across his shoulders.

"Of course it is." He started pulling him to the door. "Now let's move. Dr. Crowler is my first class and he'll be furious if I'm late again." Jesse looked at him.

"Does it really matter? He'll get furious with you one way or another." Jaden thought about that for a moment.

"I guess you're right." Jesse chuckled and pulled Jaden's from across his shoulders. He gave him a confused look. Jesse pulled a cell phone of the back pocket of his pants.

"I want to call Julie." Jaden smiled knowingly. He walked to the door, opening it.

"I'll be outside. Try not to talk too long." When Jesse nodded, he left the room closing the door silently behind himself.

When he was alone, Jesse flipped his phone open and held down the _'2'_ button until the screen read _'Calling Julie…' _He held the phone to his ear, listening to it ring until it went to voicemail.

'_Hey, this is Julie. I can't answer right now because I'm either busy with my gorgeous boyfriend or taking care of our baby girl. Leave a message and I __might__ get back to you.'_

_**BEEP!**_

"Hey, babe. Sense your gorgeous boyfriend is the one calling I'm going to assume you're taking care of Maria." He smiled. "Just wanted to say hi and that I love you. Give Maria a hug and a kiss for me. I'll talk to you tonight."

With that, he snapped his phone shut and put it back into his pocket. Then he left the room and went with Jaden, exploring the campus known as Duel Academy.

_**xXx**_

Julie smiled as she closed her phone. Just when she started to miss that man, he called. He was probably, no, _IS_ the most perfect man in the whole world. And she had him all to herself. Well, her and their daughter.

She set her phone down on the table in front of her. She turned and looked at the bundle of blankets next to her, reaching out and stroking the cheek of hers and Jesse's baby girl. Maria stirred slightly, only turning her head away from her mother. She reached up and rubbed her eyes, yawning before falling back into her nap.

Julie smiled as she watched her daughter. When she first learned that she was pregnant, she had been scared out of her mind. It didn't help at all that her life was on the verge of war. At first, she wasn't sure what she was going to do with her baby. But when Maria, a dear friend of Julie's, died protecting her because she was pregnant, she couldn't give up her baby, no matter what. And she was forever thankful that she didn't give up her baby, though she always wishes that Maria wouldn't have had to die.

With a sigh, Julie got up and picked up her baby. She didn't stir, even as her mother set her in her stroller. The two of them were going to walk to town. Julie had some things she needed to do and re father had the only car. Plus, Emmy was busy so she couldn't watch Maria. Julie grabbed the baby back and set it on the couch, going through it to make sure she had everything she would need.

"Good, that's everything." She smiled and went into the walk-in, where the front door lead into the house. She slipped her feet into her sandals and grabbed her jacket. She turned around, slipping her arms into it.

Suddenly, the door slammed open, the glass in it shattering when it slammed into the wall. She whirled around just in time to see a woman lunging at her. The woman caught her arm and spun her around, flinging her into the corner of the walkway between the walk-in and the living room. Julie gasped in pain, her head cracking against the corner. She slumped down, cradling the back of her head with her hands. She felt a warm liquid rub against her palm. Groaning weakly, she forced herself to look up at the woman who just attacked her.

She had long, jet black hair and very bright green eyes. It was evident that she had died her hair that dark color. The woman wore all black: a corset that laced up in the front, a small, short sleeved jacket that ended just past her breasts, jeans that flared widely at the ankles, and three-inch heeled boots.

"Who are you?" Julie demanded with a snarl. She jumped to her feet, pulling her hands away from her head. Blood coated them and continued to run down her head and neck, staining her white blouse.

The girl smirked evilly at her. "My name is Angelina, but that doesn't matter anymore."

"And why is that?"

"Because I'm here to kill you." Julie froze; her face paling and her breath hitching in her throat. The silence in the house was defining. Suddenly, Maria began to cry. Julie's head whipped in the direction of the sound.

"Your baby knows that her mommy is about to die," Angelina said. Julie slowly turned back toward her. She had a gun drawn with a silencer attached to the end. She had it aimed right at Julie's head.

"Why are you here? Why are you trying to kill me? I haven't done anything to you!" Julie screamed. Angelina just shook her head.

"You did, I assure you of that." She smiled at her. "But don't worry; you don't need to worry about your daughter. I'll take good care of her." Julie ground her teeth together and began to see red. Angelina began to pull back the trigger when she spun around and kicked the gun out of her hand. It skidded across the floor, stopping when it hit the front wheel of Maria's stroller. She was still crying. "You're going to regret doing that." Angelina glared back at Julie. However, she was glaring at her with much more passion…rage.

"No, **you're** going to regret coming into my home and threatening me and my baby." With that, Julie lunged at her, taking her to the floor. She snarled loudly as they slammed against it. She reached up and gripped a handful of Julie's brown locks, trying to pull her off of her. Julie just slammed their foreheads together. Angelina's eyes rolled back in her head.

Julie jumped up quickly and scooped up the gun. She kept it pointed at the still stunned girl. With her free arm she shouldered the baby bag and grabbed her phone, sliding it into her back pocket. She grabbed Maria, cradling her head against her shoulder. She stopped crying when her mother held her, only sniffling softly.

Now that she had everything, Julie walked around Angelina's body. She was moaning weakly, obviously still disoriented. As Julie passed her, she noticed something glistening from around her neck. She glanced down to see what it was…and froze.

"It can't be," she stammered. Suddenly, Angelina grabbed her ankle. Julie screamed, causing Maria to start crying again. She whipped her head down to see Angelina raising herself off of the floor.

"You can't run away this time you _Blood Leader Bitch!_" she snarled. Julie ground her teeth together again and kicked her hard in the face with her other foot. She felt crushing underneath her foot. Angelina's hand slipped from around her foot as her head slumped against the ground. Blood ran down her face and her nose was crooked. Julie pointed the gun at her.

"I should _kill_ you," she snarled. Angelina remained silent, unconscious. Julie glared at her but slowly lowered the gun. "But I have more important things to do." She threw the gun and it skidded underneath a dresser at the end of the room. She ran out of the house, spotting a rental car in the driveway. Without thinking, she ran to the car and opened the back door. No one was in the car. Being quick, she threw the baby back into the car and set Maria down. She was still crying.

"Shush. Please be quiet, baby. Mommy's right here," Julie soothed stroking her teal curls softly as she grabbed a pacifier from the bag. Maria calmed down when she placed it in her mouth. Sighing, Julie jumped in the driver's seat, slamming down the power lock button. She looked around the car, hoping to find the keys. Luckily for her, Angelina left them in the ignition. Smiling, she started the car and sped away. She buckled up and swiped the back of her hand across her forehead.

"I think I'm going to regret letting her live." She sighed again and pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket. She quickly texted her father what happened. She then dialed an unfamiliar number, holding the phone to her ear when she finished. It rang twice before someone answered.

"Hello?" It was a girl, younger than Julie, who was now eighteen.

"Jess, its Julie. We have a _**serious**_ problem."

_**xXx**_

"Oh my God," Jess whispered as she fell into a chair. Julie stood next to the counter of the Yuki household, Maria on her hip with her head resting the crook of her neck. She was still sucking on the pacifier, sound asleep.

"They actually attacked you in your own home?" a male voice asked. Julie nodded, bouncing her baby once. There was an irritated look on her face.

"I wouldn't be here if they didn't, Tony!" Said man appeared out of the room next to them. He had short brown hair and honey-colored eyes. He resembled Jaden greatly in the face; only his face had a more defined facial structure. It was a very handsome one, a strong chin and deeply set eyes that made them stand out much more. He had stubble on his chin and cheeks. He wore blue jeans and an old flannel shirt.

"What do we do? What do they want?" Jess demanded. Julie looked away from Tony and walked over to her. She has never felt right near him in any of the few times they have met.

"Jess, they want to kill us," she said. She sat down next to the young girl. Jess looked at her confused.

"'_Us'_?" Julie sighed.

"Not you or Tony." She glanced up at the man. He leaned against the doorframe, his arms folded across his vast, muscular chest. "But '_us_' as in the…leaders," she whispered. Jess gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.

"Onii-chan!" Tears sprang into her eyes. Julie reached out and stroked her hair.

"It's going to be okay, Jess. I'm leaving right now to get him and Jesse. But I need you to do something for me, okay?" Jess nodded. "Call everyone else and get them here. Jim, Axel, Chris, and Emmy, alright?" Jess nodded again. Julie smiled and kissed her on the forehead as she stood up. She walked past Tony, grabbing the baby bag.

"Leave Maria here, Julie. She'll be safest here," he said. Julie glared at him.

"The safest place for her is with me." He leveled his cool gaze with her heated one.

"What if that Angelina chick follows you? How safe will she be then?" She bit her lip hesitating. She knew he was right but she didn't want to leave Maria there…unprotected…with him. Tony was a lawyer, not a gang member! And Jess still hasn't gotten over murdering Aaron. Plus, she's only eleven! Maria needs protection, being the only daughter of two of the targets.

"She's staying with me, Tony. You just worry about your own family while I worry about mine," she said turning her back on him. She grabbed the long strap of the baby bag.

"I am," Tony said suddenly. Julie froze and looked over her shoulder at him. He was staring at her intently. She shouldered the bag and walked out of the house, slamming the door behind herself.

_**xXx**_

_Wah! Julie was attacked and now there are people after all the leaders? What's next?_

_I know, and you'll know as soon as I get reviews! So…REVIEW! If you don't, my many OCs will know…and find you. They will be angry. You won't like them when they are angry._

_(NOTE: By 'Many OCs', I mean EVERY OC I have EVER created. That means all stories…including 'Summertime Love'. You don't Danny finding you now, do you? I didn't think so.)_

_So review! :)_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	3. Duel Academy Brawl

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess; she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE!!!! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

_**xXx**_

_**Narrative POV**_

Julie sighed and pulled the sunglasses in her hair down over her eyes. Maria rolled over slightly in the carrier her mother held as they both got off the boat. They had just arrived at Duel Academy Island.

"Come on, Baby Girl. Now we have to find Daddy and Uncle Jaden," Julie whispered. Maria opened her bright green eyes to stare at her mother, blinking slightly. Julie sighed and began trudging toward the academy. Some students looked at her confused, wondering who she was. Others stared at her in surprise. She was their age and had a baby with her. She ignored them however and continued to look around her surroundings, looking for Jaden, Jesse, and maybe Angelina.

"Excuse me, Miss?" a voice called. Julie stopped and turned to see who was talking to her. A boy in an Obelisk Blue uniform with green hair was standing just behind her. He smiled charmingly at her.

"Yes? What is it?" She didn't recognize the boy but she wasn't getting any strange vibes from him. Still, she was cautious as she stared at him, her eyes narrowed. He took a step toward her, to which she took one back.

"I couldn't help but notice that you were looking for someone. Maybe I could be of assistance." His eyes were soft and his smile inviting. Still, many years as a Blood have taught Julie many things. One of which was to never _trust _a book by its cover.

"I'd actually rather find them for myself, if you don't mind." He smiled at her and took another step; only it was a much larger one so he was close enough to place his hand on her shoulder. She shook him off quickly.

"I'd really like to help. Believe me, I don't bite." He wasn't going to leave her alone anytime soon, Julie knew that. So she surrendered with a sigh.

"Do you know where Jaden Yuki is?" The boy placed his hand on his chin.

"Jaden Yuki? I believe he is at the Slifer Cafeteria right about now." He smiled at her and extended his arm toward her. "Shall I escort the beautiful mother there?" She couldn't help but smile at him and take his extended arm. He then began to lead her toward the Slifer dorms. He smiled down at her after a moment. "So, what's the name of the cutie you're carrying?" Julie glanced down at her baby, who wasn't asleep but looking all around her.

"Her name is Maria," she said.

"What a lovely name. And what is her beautiful mother's?" She knew he was flirting with her and even though she should be pushing him away, it made her feel special to have someone look at her like that. But Jesse's gaze toward her was so much more.

"Julie." She smiled up at him.

"Julie, a beautiful name for a beautiful woman." He smiled at her. A blush bloomed on her cheeks, but she continued to smile at him nonetheless. "My name is Yusuke** (1)**."

"Nice to meet you, Yusuke." They continued to walk in silence until Yusuke spoke up again.

"Are you here to see the father?" Julie blinked and looked up at Yusuke. He was smiling at her still. She shook her head.

"No, well yes, but Jaden isn't Maria's father. Her father is here with him, visiting. But I need to see them both." Yusuke nodded.

"Very well, and what is his name? The father I mean."

"Jesse." Yusuke just nodded again. Julie sighed and glanced to the right, as Yusuke was on her left. She froze when she saw something blur past her vision. He looked at her confused.

"What is it?" She shook her head and turned around, handing Maria's carrier to him and the baby bag as well.

"Nothing you need to worry about. Just…go to the dorm and find Jaden and Jesse. Tell them I'm here and nothing more, okay?"

"What about when they ask me where you are and why I have Maria?" Julie bit her lip and looked over her shoulder.

"Tell them I ran off and gave Maria to you, okay?" She looked back to see him nod. "Good, now get to them now!" With that, Julie took off running into the woods, leaving behind a very confused Yusuke and a smiling Maria.

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

I sighed and looked at Jesse. "She isn't going to call this instant. You _just _left her a message. Give her a little while to reply, would ya?" He frowned but closed his phone and set it on the table. I snatched it up so he wouldn't be tempted to call Julie again. He glared at me, but let me keep his phone.

"Are you sure she hasn't called yet?" Syrus asked. Jesse nodded.

"I've had it on all day, on me at all times. If she called, I would have picked up by the first ring," he answered. Alexis looked at him. She was sitting on my lap, our hands twined beneath the table.

"Maybe she's just really busy." I smiled at her.

"That's exactly what I said." Jesse rolled his eyes and opened his mouth, like he was about to say something, when Mindy and Jasmine ran in.

"Oh my god! You'll never believe what we just saw!" Mindy screamed. Chazz looked at her.

"Good, because I really don't care what you saw." She stuck her tongue out at him and looked at everyone else.

"What did you see, Mindy?" Syrus asked.

"Yusuke! And he was carrying a baby!" Jasmine exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. Atticus looked at them, his eyes questioning they're sanity.

"Yusuke and a baby?" They nodded. He shook his head. "Yusuke doesn't even know anyone with a baby." They scowled at him.

"Don't believe us?" We all shook our heads. "Fine, come and see for yourself." They ran out of the room, leaving us no other option but to follow them. When we walked out, we did indeed see Yusuke walking toward us, a baby bag on his shoulder and a carrier in his hand. Jesse shoved his way past me and made his way toward Yusuke.

"Maria!" he gasped. Yusuke looked up at him and smiled. He walked over to him, the carrier extended toward him. Sure enough, it was Maria in the carrier. As soon as she saw her daddy, she began to smile and reach out toward him.

"You must be Jesse," Yusuke said. Jesse took Maria out of her carrier and held her in his arms. She reached up and began to tug on the hair that framed his face. He looked at Yusuke in shock.

"How do you know my name and how do you have Maria?" I was surprised when he didn't sound angry, only surprised. Yusuke set down the now empty carrier and baby bag.

"I met her mother." Jesse gasped.

"Julie is here?" Yusuke nodded.

"Yes. She said she came here to talk to you and Jaden, only she ran off a little while ago." I walked forward, looking at Yusuke.

"Where did she run off to?" I asked. Yusuke just shrugged.

"She wouldn't tell me." I looked at Jesse, who was frowning at me. Maria continued to giggle and tug on her father's hair.

"Should we go look for her?" Syrus asked. Jesse scowled at nothing, his hand smoothing over Maria's hair without really thinking about it.

"No. She'll come to us," he said. I opened my mouth about to say something when suddenly, someone screamed. Everyone whirled around in time to see Julie flying out of the woods, sliding on her side. She grunted in pain and flinched as she sat up. Her clothes were torn and blood coated the cuts and holes. There was a cut on her head that caused blood to cake in her hair.

"Julie!" everyone screamed. She didn't look back at us, only doing a backwards summersault as another girl lunged out of the trees, landing just where she was. The other girl looked like she was in much worse shape than Julie. Her long, jet black hair was tied behind her head and her black outfit was torn in some places with sleeves missing in others. Her nose was crooked and she had two black eyes.

"There's nowhere to run now, Blood Bitch!" the other girl snarled. Julie glared at her and got to her feet shakily. Her left arm hung limply at her side.

"I think her shoulder's dislocated," I whispered to Jesse. He clenched his jaw and nodded.

"Now you die!" the black girl pulled a gun from out of nowhere and aimed at Julie. Everyone gasped, but Julie merely spun around and _tried_ to kick it out of the girl's hand. Except that she anticipated her attack and raised her arm just out of Julie's range. "Ha! That shit don't work twice!" But Julie only flipped with her leg extended and knocked the gun out of her hand, sending it soaring high into the air until it slid to the right. The girl screamed in pain, crumpling to her knees and clutching her now broken wrist. Julie stood over her, breathing deeply.

"You can't kill me if you can't fight at all," she said. The girl spat at her feet.

"Fuck you." She drew another gun and flipped out of Julie's way. "Now die!" She didn't wait as the gun was aimed at her. She instead ran toward the right, sliding on her side toward the gun. The girl followed her the entire way.

"Oh, God! It's going to be close!" Bastion gasped. Jesse reached out and clutched my forearm tightly. His face was bone white and I could tell he felt useless just watching. But there was nothing he could do, so I let him cling to my arm so hard that I knew I would have a fresh bruise.

We all watched as Julie's hand closed around the gun and she spun upward, pointing the gun at the girl and pulling the trigger. However, the girl also had her gun pointed at Julie. And she pulled the trigger as well. Everyone was silent as we watched, wondering what the outcome was. Suddenly, the black girl coughed up blood and fell backwards, the gun sliding from her grip. Julie breathed a sigh of relief and fell completely down, her right arm extending out and the gun slipping from her grip.

"Julie!" Jesse screamed as he handed Maria off to Alexis, who took her and held her tenderly against her chest. He took off toward her, sliding to her side in the blink of an eye. Maria giggled and clapped her hands as she watched her dad run. I followed after him, only I walked over to the now dead girl. The rest of the gang walked over to them.

"Julie, are you okay?" Mindy gasped. She nodded and sat up, Jesse helping support her. She pulled her legs up and placed her left arm between her knees. Holding onto her arm tightly, she placed her right hand on her left shoulder and with one swift twist, popped her shoulder back into place. She winced once, but rolled her shoulder and cracked her neck.

"I knew I'd regret letting that bitch live," she muttered as she looked back at the girl she just shot. Jesse scowled at her.

"What happened?" Julie looked at him.

"It's a long story." He frowned at her but suddenly leaned forward and captured her lips with his own. She kissed him back, cradling his cheek with her right hand. The gang watched, smiling, but I just looked away and down at the corpse at my feet.

She was young, maybe sixteen. Her bright green eyes stared up at me, lifeless. Blood pooled underneath her body from the bullet wound in her chest, right through her heart. Julie has great aim. My eyes continued to roam over the body until they land on her throat, freezing on the silver pendent nestled in it. My breath froze in my throat and my eyes grew wide.

"It can't be," I whispered. I have never been more afraid in my entire life, even when the war between Cribs and Bloods happened last year. I dropped to my knee, kneeling next to the body. I reached out and ripped the pendent from her throat.

"Jaden, what is it?" Alexis asked, leaning next to me. I stood up and looked at her. She gasped when she saw the naked fear on my face.

"Jesse, I think I know why Julie is here," I said, looking at him. He turned his head to look at me. Julie and he had their foreheads pressed together but now her forehead was pressed against the side of his head, her eyes closed.

"What?" he asked. I held up my hand and flashed the pendent, the sunlight glistening brightly off it. He gasped and fear and panic rose on his face. He knew exactly what was going on.

All because of the skull and crossbones pendent that I held in my hand.

"What is it?" Aster asked, looking at the pendent. I lowered my arm and looked at him.

"This is the symbol of the Skulls."

"Who are the Skulls?" Hassleberry asked. I looked right at him.

"A monstrous gang that the Cribs and Bloods disbanded years ago," I said.

"And they swore revenge for what we did," Jesse said. Julie looked up.

"And now they're back to make good on their word."

_**xXx**_

_Oh my god! Skulls? Who the hell are they?_

_: ) I know! XD_

_Please review and I'll update as soon as I can! _

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**

**1: Okay, not exactly sure who knows and who doesn't know about Yusuke. But he is in season four of YuGiOh GX, which 4kids didn't do. You can just look him up. For those who do know who he is, I make him good. Not sorta or completely evil like he is in the anime. Not exactly sure what he is. : )**


	4. The Skulls

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess; she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE!!!! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

"Okay, now spill. Who are these '_Skulls'_ you guys are talking about?" Blair demanded. Everyone had quickly run to the safety of Chazz's dorm room after Julie killed Angelina. For some unknown reason, no one but us was around to see it. So, Jesse and I did the only thing we could: we dumped the body in the ocean. The last thing we needed was a huge police investigation. And, sense Angelina is a member of the Skulls I just knew this was just the beginning.

"We told you, they're a monstrous gang that we and the Cribs disbanded years ago," Julie said. Surprisingly, even though she looked like she was in bad shape, she was actually in pretty good shape. A few cuts and bruises here and there but that's the extent of it. Her shoulder was already fixed.

"You guys actually worked _with _the Cribs?" Syrus gasped. I sighed and sat down on a couch, Alexis sitting next to me. I ran my thumb over the skull and crossbones pendent in my hand.

"We had no choice. The Skulls were monsters," I whispered. Alexis reached out and grabbed my hand, squeezing it. I squeezed hers back but kept my face turned away from hers.

"I thought the Cribs were monsters," Mindy said. Jesse looked at her. Julie sat on his right with their hands interlocked, Maria resting softly in his arms.

"The Cribs were **nothing** compared to the Skulls," he answered.

"How so?" Bastion asked. Julie and Jesse looked at each other, not exactly sure how to explain it. I sighed again and slouched back against the couch.

"Cribs killed more than we did, like you know. But they had lines they wouldn't cross. Even Adrian wouldn't just shot someone in the head for accidently bumping into him on the street." I looked at him. "But the Skulls did. You couldn't do anything in Ochi City for fear of messing with a Skull. You didn't know who they were until it was too late."

"Why didn't the police do anything?" Atticus asked. I let out a dry, humorless laugh.

"The police? What the hell have the police in Ochi City ever done? Nothing, that's what. They relied on us Bloods to handle the gangs in their city." Alexis frowned at me.

"But you guys did," she said. I lowered my head and shook my head.

"But we didn't want to," I whispered.

"Why wouldn't you want to?" Chazz asked. He wasn't being snotty for once, just curious.

"Because the last thing any of us wanted was the bloodthirsty Skulls after us," Julie said. Jesse nodded.

"The Skulls stayed away from our territory. They knew if they killed in our territory, they'd be finished." He looked up, determination flaring in his eyes. "No hesitation."

"Why did you have to wait until it was on your territory?" Aster asked.

"We just told you, Aster. We didn't want to fight them but if the killed in our house, would have been forced to," I said. I glanced around the room. No one seemed to understand what I was saying.

"Then why did you guys disband them? They kill in your territory?" Hassleberry asked. Jesse, Julie, and I all frowned, looking down.

"It's my fault. I'm the one who caused it, caused the Skulls to attack and kill innocent people just to draw us out," I whispered. Alexis squeezed my hand and moved closer to me, placing her other hand on my thigh. She was trying to comfort me and if I wasn't so sick with my memories, it would have worked.

"I'm sure it wasn't your fault," she soothed. I quickly shook my head.

"It was. I fought with one of them, nearly killing them."

"But they tried to kill you first, Jaden," Jesse pointed out.

"You did what you had to do. And the Skulls did what they thought they had to do," Julie said. I just kept my head tilted down, allowing my bangs to shield my eyes. Alexis continued to squeeze my hand and stroke my hair, down my back, anywhere she thought would sooth me.

"We had to end it, Jaden. We had to end them. Even Mark admitted that we waited too long when it was time to finally fight," Jesse said.

"I know, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm the one who got people, innocent people, killed." I looked at him. "And I never want that to happen again." He gave me a smile.

"It won't." I just looked down. He sighed.

"Wait. You guys said that the police of Ochi City left you guys to handle all the gangs?" Atticus said. We Blood Trio nodded. "Why did they do that?"

"Easy, because we'd been doing it for years," I answered.

"What do you mean?" Jasmine asked.

"Ochi City was filled with gangs. Seven major ones: Bloods, Cribs, Skulls, Hammers, Cranes, Fangs, and Demons. The four you probably don't recognize were disbanded by us Bloods. They killed in our territory, so we finished them off," Jesse said.

"Not only were there the major seven, dubbed by the city as the 'Seven Deadly Gangs', but quite a few minor gangs. We Bloods also ended them rather quickly," Julie added.

"It took only a year until the only gangs that remained in Ochi City were the Bloods, the Cribs, and the Skulls. We Bloods were heroes, the Skulls were monsters, and the Cribs were just plain annoying," I said.

"But we're not the only major gangs in all of Japan, only Ochi City," Jesse quickly said. Bastion nodded.

"Yes, I remember hearing that on the news just after you guys disbanded yourselves and the Cribs. They said that only two frightful gangs were left in Japan, but they didn't say the names," he said. I nodded.

"But no one really has to worry about those two. They're more of anti-hero gangs than anything else," I said.

"But what about the Skulls? You said you disbanded them with the help of the Cribs," Jasmine said. Julie nodded.

"We did. When they first killed on our territory, Mark knew it was the beginning of the end. He also knew that we couldn't take the Skulls down all on our own, so he asked Adrian and the Cribs for help."

"Why did they help?" Syrus asked. I looked at him.

"Because the Cribs wanted the Skulls gone just as badly as everyone else, maybe more so. With the Skulls gone, they could be the bad gang I suppose. Not only that, but the Skulls had no qualms about killing in their territory."

"Why didn't the Cribs fight back if it was their territory?" Blair asked. Jesse rolled his eyes.

"The Cribs were too damn scared. They were waiting for us to jump on the band wagon. That's why they were more than willing to help put an end to the Skulls. We worked together for almost a year. When the last Skull was killed, so was our partnership," he said.

"Or, what we thought was the last Skull," Julie whispered. Jesse and I both bit our lower lips.

"So now that remaining Skull," Chazz began but I cut him off.

"It was most likely Skulls," I said. "They just got bigger in the few years they'd been hibernating."

"Like a virus, just waiting for the right time to become active," Julie said. Chazz just scowled, but not at us, more like his carpet.

"So these remaining Skulls are back and ready to kill you guys?" he asked. The three of us, the three targets, looked at each other. Then I looked at him.

"Yeah, most likely," I said shrugging. Alexis squeezed my hand and didn't let up. I looked at her and saw the panic on her face, in her eyes. Without thinking, I reached up and gently touched her right cheek with my free hand, leaning my head down so our foreheads were pressed together. I closed my eyes and just held that position. I felt her shaking slightly, trying to keep from crying.

"But we're not the only ones that the Skulls will be after. Emmy, Chris, Jim, and Axel are also targets," Julie said suddenly. I nodded slightly, keeping my position with Alexis.

"Not to mention the other remaining Crib leaders," Jesse said. Julie snorted.

"Craig and Axel are the only ones still alive. The rest were blown up or killed by us during the war." I sighed and slowly leaned away from Alexis. She bit her shaking lower lip and leaned down, clinging to me. She had her arms around me, holding tightly to me as she pressed her face into the place where my neck and shoulder met.

"We need to call them, even Craig, and warn them about the Skulls," I said. Julie looked at me.

"I already told Jess to do that, just not call Craig." I frowned.

"Julie, I know he was a bastard but we can't let them-" I began but she cut me off.

"He's already dead, Jaden." I froze, my breath hitching. She was looking at me, expressionless.

"I thought you said he was alive?" I said, breathless. She shrugged.

"I forgot he was already killed."

"How?"

"A car accident two weeks ago. We didn't even think anything about the Skulls when it happened. I don't even know if they were involved. Probably, but we can't be sure," she answered. I just frowned and wrapped my arm around Alexis, pulling her closer to me. So close she just moved into my lap and moved her arms around my neck. I could feel her tears on my skin. I rubbed soothing circles on her back.

"What are you going to do, Jay?" Syrus asked. I looked around, seeing everyone staring at me. I looked at Julie.

"Where did you tell Jess to tell them to meet us?" I asked.

"Your brother's house," she answered. I nodded.

"Probably best. I don't think the Skulls will know where his house is."

"Probably not," she agreed.

"You're leaving Duel Academy?" Blair whispered. I nodded again.

"I have to. There is no other option." Blair jumped to her feet.

"There's a mountain of other options!" she screamed. I just glared at her.

"They'll just come here to get me. And they won't send amateurs like Angelina, Blair. They'll send the big guns, the good fighters, probably their best. I'm the leader of the Bloods now, the head honcho with Mark dead. Not just that, but I'm the one who started this mess. The first one to ever mess with them and live, the one that got the Bloods and Cribs to disband them. _I'm the number one target!_" I screamed. Everyone froze, their gasps audible. Even Jesse and Julie were staring at me wide-eyed. Not by my outburst, but because they saw I was right. I was in charge now.

And the Skulls were going to take me out, one way or another.

"Take me with you," Alexis whispered into my skin. I gasped and looked down at her.

"What?" I felt like I couldn't breathe. She pulled back and looked at me. Her arms were still around my neck. There were tears running down her face.

"Take me with you," she repeated. I shook my head slowly.

"No, I can't," I whispered.

"Why?" she cried. I couldn't look at her.

"I just can't."

"Tell me why, Jaden!"

I shook my head. My voice was lost, caught behind the lump in my throat.

"Yes! Tell me, please!" I whirled around grabbed her arms, holding them tightly.

"_I can't lose you!_" I screamed. She stared at me wide eyed and I knew everyone else was doing the same but I only had eyes for Alexis. "If the Skulls find out about you, Lex, they'll kill you just to get to me. And if they kill you…if I lose you…I don't know what I'd do." My voice was strong at the beginning but at the end I could barely hear myself. Her face softened and she wrapped her arms around me, hugging me. I hugged her back, holding her to my chest with such might, showing I was never going to let her go.

"But I'll be safest with you," she whispered in my ear. I tensed. She scratched the back of my scalp soothingly. "If the Skulls find out about me and come here, I won't be safe at all. But if they find out about me when I'm with you, well, how much safer could I be?" She pulled back so she was staring me in the eye. I didn't like what she was saying. Because she was completely right. There was no safer place for her than with me.

"She's right, Jaden," Jesse whispered. I turned to look at him, forgetting that Alexis and I were in the middle of Chazz's dorm with all of our friends watching us.

"Maria is with me for the same reason, Jaden. Tony wanted me to leave her with him and Jess, but I knew she wouldn't be safe if they came to the house. The safest place for the people you love during times like this is with you," Julie said. She smiled at me, a sad little smile. "I thought you would remember that from last year?" I frowned and turned my head away from Alexis. She placed her hand on my cheek and forced me to look at her. I just stared into those eyes I fell in love with for an immeasurable moment, fighting an internal battle.

"Don't leave my side," I whispered, raising my hand to overlap hers. "Even for a second." She smiled and leaned forward, pressing her lips to mine. I pulled her tighter against me and kissed her passionately, forgetting about our audience once again.

Someone cleared their throat.

"Don't forget about us, Slacker. We're going, too," Chazz said. I pulled slowly, almost unwillingly, away from Alexis. I turned to look at him. He had his arms folded across his chest, daring me to object.

"I'm with Chazz. You're going to need our help, Jaden," Bastion said. Syrus, Hassleberry, Aster, Blair, and Atticus all nodded. Mindy and Jasmine looked at each other.

"We'll stay back this time," they said at the same time. Then they left, probably preferring not to hear anymore.

"Wimps," Blair said. I looked at all of my friends.

"You guys don't have to come. You'll be putting yourselves in unnecessary danger," I said. Syrus smiled at me.

"It's not unnecessary if it's for you, Jay," he said. Hassleberry nodded and placed his hand on his small shoulder.

"That's right. We're all in this together," he said. I smiled at all my friends, feeling like the luckiest guy in the world.

"Pack your things, everyone. The boat will leave just after sunset," Julie said. We all looked at her. She was now holding a sleeping Maria with Jesse's arm around her shoulder. "And the same rule applies: Jaden is in charge of you. You do as he says or you stay back. Clear?" The gang looked at each other and then at her.

"Transparently."

_**xXx**_

_Ohhhh! Kawaii chapter!!!! : ) Loved all the little Jaden x Alexis moments. _

_Please review!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	5. No One May Survive

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess, she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE!!!! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

Darkness had consumed the island where Duel Academy was. No moon shined in the sky, being the night of the New Moon. Stars tried to become the new focus of the sky, but dark clouds covered them. No crickets made sound off in the distance. Everything was quiet…somber…peaceful.

A twig snapped.

"Silence! Do you want us to get caught?" Blair snapped, smacking Chazz on the arm. He glared at her.

"Both of you shut it or you can stay behind!" Julie barked. They silenced immediately. It was nine that night, shortly after we all decided to head back to Ochi City and handle the newly awakened Skulls. We were hidden in the bushes only a couple hundred yards from the dock. A boat floated on the water, the captain pacing the deck.

"Everything clear, Jaden?" Jesse asked. I looked around the tree I was pressed against. I saw a guard up the hill with a flashlight. He was heading the opposite direction of where we were. The reason we were being so sneaky is because Chancellor Sheppard had just instituted the curfew for the island and now had guards that patrolled it. If we were caught, we'd be in bigger trouble than the normal curfew breakers. We weren't breaking it for kicks, but so we could leave the island.

"Hold on, the guard is almost gone," I whispered. Jesse nodded. He was pressed against a similar tree a few feet away from me, looking toward the dock for guards. There were none thus far. I kept my eyes on the guard. He disappeared over the hill. The coast was finally clear. I turned around, grabbing Alexis' hand. She was crouching in the bushes next to Julie. "Let's go." I flew out of the bushes, pulling Alexis behind me. Everyone followed after me. We flew down to the dock. The captain looked at us. He had a scraggy looking grey beard and now hair.

"You are all leaving?" he questioned, narrowing his eyes at us. Julie stepped forward, Maria sound asleep on her shoulder.

"Step off, Claude," she snarled. The captain, Claude, looked at her.

"I could lose my job if I take them all," he defended. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're going to lose more than that if you don't take them. Besides, you don't even work for Duel Academy." He frowned and stepped onto the boat, waving us on to follow him.

"That you know of," he muttered. She clonked him on the back of the head with her knuckles.

"You're a friend of my dad and a _fisherman_, Claude. Don't flatter yourself thinking you could work for Duel Academy." Claude just scowled at her but went to the front of the boat. It roared to life, shaking slightly beneath our feet. A moment later, we were speeding away from Duel Academy. Once it was out of view, we all began to relax.

"What are we going to do when Chancellor Sheppard realizes we're gone?" Syrus asked. I looked back in the direction where the school is.

"Nothing. He won't come after us. He's smart, he'll figure out something happened," I said. Everyone nodded, accepting the answer.

"You kids might want to go below deck," Claude said, walking toward us. He handed a key to Julie. "And stay there until we reach port, understood?" He kept his gaze on her. She gave him a sweet smile.

"Of course, Captain Claude." He just grunted and went back to the front of the boat. She winked at us and lead us to the door which lead to the place where Claude wanted us to be. She opened the door and I closed it, being the last one in. The inside didn't have any beds or bunks, just a large, plush couch that circled all three of the walls, leaving the door wall blank. Everyone dropped their stuff on the floor and sat down on the couch. I sat down next to Jesse and Alexis. Everyone stayed quiet, just looking around and trying to absorb all that happened today.

"Julie?" Atticus suddenly called. She looked up at him with an eyebrow raised. She was tucking Maria into the carrier that Jesse had carried. There was a pacifier in her mouth and she was already sound asleep.

"What is it, Atticus?" she asked.

"How do you know Yusuke?" She blinked once before realizing who he was talking about.

"Oh, the green haired boy that helped me out. I just met him today. He saw me looking around for you guys. He knew you and offered to lead me to you guys, that's the extent to it," she answered with a shrug. Jesse scowled at her.

"And you let this guy hold Maria?" I don't think he liked that. She just looked at him.

"It was either that or I carried her around while I fought Angelina to the death." He sighed and reached around her, tucking Maria in more. She pulled her hands free of the blanket and grabbed her dad's hand, holding his thumb and index finger tightly. She yawned, her pacifier falling out of her mouth, and went back to sleep, keeping a firm hold on her dad. Julie smiled at him and leaned back against him, reaching out to grab his other hand. He smiled at his daughter and then the love of his life. He pressed his lips against hers sweetly. I smiled at the scene playing out before me.

"What do you think is going to happen?" Alexis whispered. I turned away from the family in front of me and to her. She was holding my hand tightly, staring at the ground. I smiled softly and squeezed her hand, pulling her closer to my side. I leaned down and pressed my lips to the hallow behind her ear and then ran my lips around so I could whisper in her ear.

"I don't know, but you'll be safe. I promise." I pressed my lips to her temple and she sighed. She nestled into my side, her head resting my shoulder. After a few moments, her eyes drifted shut.

"I'm worried," Syrus said. I looked at him. He was sitting next to Hassleberry on the couch opposite mine. Chazz and Blair sat at the other end of the same couch. Aster, Atticus, and Bastion all sat on the couch between mine and Syrus'.

"About what?" I asked.

"What can we do?" I smiled at him.

"You'll think of something." He nodded and began to talk to Hassleberry again. I sighed and leaned back against the couch. Sure, I agreed to let the entire gang come with us, but I truly had no idea how they could help. The Skulls are much more dangerous than the Cribs and I wouldn't let them help even then. I sighed again and rubbed my eyes with my free hand. But, Julie was right, they are safest with me.

Everyone was quiet for the next hour or so, just trying to calm down and figure out what to do. The silence seemed to grow even thicker until someone's phone began to ring.

"It's Jess," Julie said. I looked at her. She and Jesse were curled up together just next to Alexis and I. Maria rested in her carrier just next to her parents. Julie untangled herself from her love and opened her phone. "Hey, Jess." She then disappeared up the stairs, probably to get better reception.

"What was that?" Alexis questioned groggy. She fell asleep shortly after she rested her head on my shoulder. I smiled at her and kissed her forehead.

"Julie's phone. Jess is just calling." She nodded and closed her eyes again. I began to run my hand up and down her arm.

"Do you have any plans, Jaden?" Jesse asked me. I shook my head.

"I think I'll think better when we're all back together," I said. Jesse smiled and nodded.

"Hopefully." I smiled at him. We were silent again until the door leading down to us opened again. We all turned to see Julie staggering down the steps. She was using her hand as support. Jesse stood up but didn't move to her. She looked up at us, tears glittering in her eyes.

"Julie, what is it? What happened?" Jesse asked as he began to walk to her. She swallowed and leaned against the wall, her arms coming up to wrap around her chest.

"Chris is dead."

Time froze. I couldn't breathe and it felt like my heart stopped. Jesse even froze in the middle of the floor. The gang looked at her in shock. Even Alexis, who I thought fell back asleep, sat up and stared at Julie in shock.

"How?" I gasped. She sniffed and looked at me. Tears ran down her cheeks slowly.

"The Skulls got him, Jaden. It was like a professional hit. He was on his knees, next to a bridge, with a bullet in his head." She choked back a sob. "Emmy's picture was at his feet! They used her to kill him, Jaden! _Chris is dead!_" She began to sob, sliding down the wall until she was sitting down. Jesse quickly made his way over to her, wrapping his arms around her. She clutched his shirt and continued to sob. I shook my head slowly, trying to absorb this information. Alexis grabbed my hand and held on tight.

Chris, my right hand man (next to Jesse), is dead. They used his girlfriend to do it, most likely threatening her safety. He was just like Jesse and I; he'd do anything to protect the woman he loved. It was probably the greatest weakness to any man, but most definitely us.

"What about everyone else?" I asked looking at Julie. She coughed a few times and looked at me. She rubbed her eyes on her sleeve, drying any remaining tears.

"They're at the house, all okay. Chris is the only one they got so far," she whispered. I nodded. I'm glad everyone is okay.

"Who will they kill next?" Jesse asked. Julie quickly looked up at him, terror in her eyes. Alexis did the same to me, clutching my hand to the point where I thought she would break it. I looked at her and then at Jesse.

"I wish I could say they won't kill anyone else, but I can't lie."

"Jaden!" Blair gasped. I shook my head.

"We're all targets now, all fair game in this war." I looked up at everyone. "And this time, no one may survive."

_**xXx**_

_No! Chris is dead!!!! T.T Sooo sad!! _

_Oh, Jaden's all dark and stuff. _

_Please review! : ) Seriously, please review. I'm like…not getting any reviews! T_T Depression! If you read it, review! They'll bring faster updates, I swear!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	6. Feeling the Loss

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess; she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE!!!! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

The sun was just rising into the sky when the boat pulled into port at the Ochi City Docks. Everyone looked like ghosts, Jesse, Julie, and I more than the others. We couldn't believe that Chris was actually dead. We slowly stumbled off the boat and looked up. My brother and Jim stood next to two large vans. When they saw us, Jim quickly rushed over to us. Tony simply stayed where he was, a cigarette a lit in his mouth.

"Glad to see you're all okay, mates," Jim said. I smiled at him, or I tried to at least.

"Same to you, Jim," I said. He smiled at me and then looked at Jesse and Julie.

"How's Emmy?" Jesse asked. Jim's face fell.

"She's devastated. I swear, Jess, I've never seen someone so hurt." We all looked away from each other.

"It's cruel, you know, that we keep losing people we care about because gangs can't leave us alone," I said. Alexis squeezed my hand. Last year, we lost Mark, Maria, and Danny. Not that Danny was really with us. He had been a traitor, but Mark and Maria were some of our best friends. They died to protect us. Chris died to protect Emmy. Who would be the next to die? And who would they be protecting?

"We shouldn't be standing out here, in the open," Tony said as he approached us. We all looked at him. He was dressed in all black. The cigarette that was in his mouth was now in his hand. He dropped it onto the dock and crushed it underneath his foot.

"Tony," I said. He looked at me.

"Jaden," he replied. The gang looked at me. They knew about my brother, I'd mentioned him a few times. They were excited to see I had a nice home to go home to now. In a way, I was glad, too. But I was much happier with the fact that Jess had a place to be where she could be safe.

"Let's go. You're friends are waiting for you at the house," Tony said. We all nodded and followed after him. Tony climbed into one van's driver seat and Jim in the other. Jesse and Julie climbed in with him. Alexis and I got into Tony's van. The gang simply spread out between the two. No one sat shot gun with Tony, not even myself.

_**xXx**_

The ride to Tony's large country home was long and silent. No one dared to say a word. I simply stared out the window keeping a firm hold on Alexis' hand. She was resting against my side, her free hand on my thigh. It was all the comfort I needed.

We pulled into driveway and parked the van. Jim pulled in and parked just behind us. I continued to gaze out the window, no one moving. The blinds in the door ruffled; someone was looking out.

"Come on," Tony said. I nodded and he opened his door. We all slowly got out of the van. Everyone was already out of Jim's van. They just stood there waiting for us. Alexis and I followed after Tony. He didn't pause for even a second, simply striding toward his door. He glanced back at us, then around, before opening the door and walking in. Out of habit, I also looked around to make sure we were alone. I noticed Jesse and Jim doing the same. Then we walked into the house. Jim took up the rear and closed the door, locking it and the deadbolt.

"Onii-chan!" Jess cried out. I turned around to see her throwing herself around my waist. She buried her face in my chest, clutching the back of my Slifer blazer for dear life. I let go of Alexis' hand and dropped to my knees, wrapping my arms around Jess, holding her tightly. Tony stood in the living room, lighting up another cigarette. I stood up and pulled Jess up with me. She clung to me, but not so much that I wasn't able to grab Alexis' hand again.

"Where is everyone?" Jesse asked as he walked around me. Julie was holding his hand just as Alexis was holding mine.

"I'm over here," Axel said. Everyone moved into the living room to see him sitting down on a couch. He looked at us. He had his arms folded across his chest.

"Where's Emmy?" Julie asked. Tony pulled his cigarette out of his mouth and blew smoke out his lips.

"She's been upstairs in the spare bedroom since she showed up yesterday," he said. He didn't sound like he cared though. I glared heatedly at him. Julie dropped Jesse's hand and made her way upstairs. I noticed that neither of them was holding Maria. Then Jim walked out with her in his arms.

"I'll go talk to her," Julie said. Everyone just nodded as she disappeared down the hall. Once she was gone, we all sat down around the room.

"You seem to have brought more home than I first thought you would, dear brother," Tony said looking at me. I just shrugged and looked away from him. Jess was clinging to my left arm and Alexis was holding my right. Even though Jess now had two older brothers, I was still her favorite one. She had made a point to say that to me every time she mentioned Tony.

"Shut it, Tony," she barked. Tears were streaming down her face. More proof that she loves me more than him: she calls me 'Onii-chan' and him 'Tony'. He just shrugged and ground his cigarette into the ash tray on the table in front of him.

"I'm just saying. How do you intend to protect all of your friends from Duel Academy when you couldn't even protect your friends here?" I flinched at his words. They were true enough, but I didn't like the way he said it. And neither did Jesse.

"What the hell would you know about that? You're a fucking lawyer of Pete's sake!" he growled. "You just stick to what you know and we'll stick to what we know." Again, Tony just shrugged. He sat down in a chair, crossing his legs.

"Very well, but what do you intend to do? You can't know much about these new Skulls, can you?" Jim, Jesse, Axel, and I looked at each other.

"Um, no, we don't," Jim admitted. Simultaneously, Jess and Alexis squeezed me. I squeezed them back but kept my gaze on Jesse. He shook his head, reading my thoughts.

"I don't know, Jay. I have no idea what these new Skulls are going to be like. From what I can tell, they're way better than the Skulls we disbanded years ago." I nodded.

"I gathered that, too."

"Then what will happen?" Syrus asked. I dropped my gaze to the floor.

"More casualties most likely," I said. There was a collective gasp around the room.

"Onii-chan, no!" Jess cried. Alexis squeezed my hand once. I pulled away from both of them and stood up. I began to pace. Everyone let me do so for a few moments. I stopped and looked at the former gang members before me.

"There has to be something we know. Something! Anything!" I was waiting for someone to throw me a bone, any bone. Jesse stood up.

"We know one thing, one thing none of us want to know." Jim looked at him.

"What's that mate?" Jesse walked over to me.

"They're smarter, stronger, and faster. They're better." I scowled at him.

"Yeah, I kind of figured that one out."

"They're better than us." Everyone froze. I blinked a few times before looking away from Jesse. My hands balled into fists and I started to pace again.

"They aren't better than us, they aren't better," I chanted that quietly. Jesse suddenly grabbed my shoulders and spun me around.

"Damn it, Jaden! Open your eyes! You saw it, too! They aren't the same hotheaded Skulls we fought years ago. They have one mission and one mission only, and that is all of our deaths. They already killed Craig and Chris. Any of us are next! They already tried to kill Julie, and she barely made it out of that alive." His voice was strained at the end. I looked at him. He was truly terrified over these Skulls, more so than I initially thought. He had so much to lose, so much he could lose. And he didn't want to feel that loss. He didn't want to feel what Emmy was feeling right now.

And neither did I.

I covered his hands on my shoulders with my own. "I know, Jesse. You're right. But, damn it, I wish you weren't." He nodded at me and pulled his hands back.

"Me, too, Jaden. Me, too."

"Then what are you going to do? If you don't know anything about these guys and they're better…" Hassleberry didn't finish his sentence.

"Maybe if you guys thought about your war with them years ago, you can figure out where you guys can get better!" Blair offered. I looked at everyone who remembered that war.

"That wouldn't do much good," Jim said.

"Why? It seems like it would," Bastion said. I shook my head.

"We had so many more fighters last time. The entire Blood and Crib gangs were working together. And we killed all of the Cribs last year! Then we disbanded the Bloods and remaining Cribs! Not to mention that our leaders killed each other! Mark and Adrian may have hated each other's guts, but they were brothers. Blood brothers, DNA brothers, _real brothers_ and they could coordinate attacks like none I've ever seen. Not to mention that the last time I fought these bastards, they nearly killed me more times than I can count!" I was gasping for breath when I finished. All of my thoughts tumbled out of my mouth with that one. Everyone was staring at me.

"More than you can count?" Aster quoted his eyes showing that he was having a hard time believing that.

"Yes. They tried to kill us all more than we can count. People were killed in that fight, more than we liked. With such a small group of targets, well." Jesse looked around. "We all very well might be killed."

The terrifying part is that I agree with him one hundred percent. And I don't like it!

_**xXx**_

_**Narrative POV**_

Julie knocked timidly on the door at the end of the hall. She could hear weeping coming from behind it. There was no response, only the weeping. She creaked the door open. Light flooded into the darkened room. Walking in, she left the door ajar and flipped on the light. Emmy sat in the far corner of the room, pulled into a tight ball. When the lights flipped on, she looked up at her guest. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy.

"Turn off the lights, Julie, and get out. I want to be left alone!" Emmy threw a pillow at her, hitting her on the leg. Julie flicked off the light but walked over to her friend. Emmy made a show of ignoring her, even as she sat down next to her. Then Julie wrapped her arms around her and began to pull her against herself. Emmy struggled in her embrace, but she wasn't letting her go. "Let me go, Julie! Let me _go!_"

"No."

That one word was all it took to make Emmy crumble and grip Julie like her life depended on it. She buried her face in the crook of her neck and began to sob. Julie ran her fingers through her hair in a soothing manner, whispering soothing words in her ear.

"God, Julie, they killed Chris! He's gone! My, God! I don't know what to do!"

"I want to say I understand, but I don't. And I don't even want to think about your pain," Julie answered honestly. Emmy nodded and pulled back.

"Good, because I'd kill you if you did," she said. Her voice was growing very hoarse. She rubbed her eyes. "Is everyone here?" Julie nodded.

"Yes." Emmy nodded in turn. Silence grew between the two. Emmy continued to cry quietly, just letting Julie try to sooth her. But she knew deep down nothing would. Her love had been taken from her and he was taken to protect her. It just wasn't fair! Especially after what she learned that day…what she wanted to tell him and never would be able to.

"Julie…I'm pregnant." Julie's hands removed themselves quickly from her hair and then held her at arm's length. Shock was all over her face.

"Oh my, God!" Emmy swallowed against the lump in her throat.

"He never knew. I was going to tell him that night, but he never showed up…" Tears began running down her face again, a sob building in her chest. Julie pulled her to her without hesitation. Emmy cried openly on her shoulder. They stayed like that until Emmy eventually fell asleep. Julie made no move to get up.

Suddenly, someone walked into the room. Julie looked up to see Alexis sitting down next to her.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Alexis smiled at her, though it was a sad smile.

"I just wanted to come see what was going on. Plus…" She looked away from the mother before her. "I don't like what they're talking about downstairs."

"What are they talking about?" Julie inquired. Alexis looked at her.

"About how the Skulls nearly killed you guys last time." Her voice was quiet. Julie nodded.

"Yeah, they did." Silence fell again.

"I can't lose him, Julie. I just can't." Her voice was quiet with tears she refused to shed. Julie grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"Believe me, I understand. I can't imagine life without Jesse. What's sad is I'd throw myself in front of a bullet to save him." Alexis looked at her confused.

"Why is that sad?"

"Because it would cause him more pain than he deserves," she whispered. Alexis frowned.

"Why are you saying that?" Julie smiled at her. It was a knowing smile.

"Because I don't want you throwing yourself in front of a bullet for Jaden. I don't think that locket would protect this time." Alexis looked away from her.

"But I can't live without him," she whispered. Julie squeezed her hand.

"And he can't live without you." Alexis looked at her.

"I understand what you're saying, Julie. But I just don't want to go through what Emmy is." Julie smiled at her sadly and released her hand. She then reached up and stroked her hair softly.

"None of us do, Lex. But if we don't figure out a way to stop the Skulls sooner rather than later, we all will."

_**xXx**_

_Oh, very sad chapter! :(_

_Please review!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	7. Can't Do This Myself

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

**_Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess; she still belongs to ladydream-chan._**

**_Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE!!!! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)_**

**_xXx_**

**_Jaden's POV_**

Moonlight flooded in from the only window in my bedroom. It was one in the morning and I couldn't be more awake. I lay on my bed; arms folded behind me head on the pillow. I let out a loud sigh and sat up, scratching my hand through my hair. I dropped my arm into my lap and looked at the person lying next to me.

Alexis lay on her side facing away from me. The blanket came up just past her hips. The moonlight shown on her, causing her skin to glow beautifully. I reached out and ran my hand down her side. She breathed in deeply and then rolled onto her back, tucking her left hand under her head and her right one across her stomach. She remained asleep. A smile touched my lips and I couldn't help but lean down and press my lips to hers for a moment. She didn't stir.

I leaned away and then got out of bed, stretching my arms above my head. I walked out of the room quietly, just wanting to go get some fresh air and think. I crept downstairs, quiet as a mouse, and out the sliding glass door to sit on the steps and be outside. I folded my arms on my knees, shivering slightly as the crisp air hit my bare chest.

Sitting there in silence, I struggled to wrap my mind around what was going on. The Skulls were back and here to kill me and the rest of my gang friends. They already killed one of them and tried to kill another. Not to mention that because I'm a Blood, all my of my Duel Academy friends and family are also targets. Of course, I knew everyone else was worried about this also, but it mattered more to me. Mark was gone and I was in charge. I was numero uno. _I'm the leader_. I'm supposed to come up with plans and protect all of my family and friends.

"But how?" I voiced out loud. I groaned and threaded my fingers through my hair, dropping my forehead into the palms of my hands. I couldn't focus. There was no way I could think logically and protect everyone. I'M NOT MARK!

_'You're right, you're Jaden,' _Mark's voice said. I gasped and looked to my left. There sat Mark, smiling at me. He looked exactly as I remembered him, clothes and all. He looked translucent and seemed to have a glow around him. But it was him, no doubt about that.

"Mark?" He nodded. "How? You're dead!" He nodded again and looked away. His arms were folded across his knees just like mine.

_'I know I'm dead, Jaden. But I'm here to help you.'_

"How can you help me if you're dead? Which, just so we're clear, you are." He chuckled and shook his head.

_'I'm just here to give you some advice, from older L1 to new L1.'_ I frowned.

"I don't want to be L1, Mark. I can't do this; I can't do what you did."

_'I hope you don't do what I did. You'd lose too many people you love.'_

"Then what do I do?" I looked at him. "I can't do this by myself." He reached out and placed his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it. I didn't feel it, but I felt some warmth.

_'Of course you can, Jaden. You're so much stronger and smarter than you think you are. You're better than I ever was or ever could be.' _I shrugged off his hand, hard to do when you can't feel it, and looked away from him.

"You were a leader, Mark. A strong one, one I'd follow to the ends of the Earth. How am I supposed to lead and protect everyone I have to when I don't have any faith in myself?"

_'Because everyone else has faith in **you**.' _I looked back at him. He had a severe look on his face, one I remembered he'd use when he was daring people to contradict him. I just shook my head and sighed.

"We need help, Mark. There's no telling how many members the Skulls have now. And they already got Chris."

_'I know. I've already seen him.'_ I looked at him. He was smiling. _'He's really pissed that he can't help you kick their asses, much like I am.'_ I laughed, something I haven't been able to do for the last few days.

"Glad to know. I wish you guys still had our backs." Now I was frowning. Mark frowned at me and nodded.

_'Us, too, Jaden. But we can't, so it's up to you.' _I nodded.

"I know." Silence fell between us. "Do you know anyone who could help us?" I asked a few moments later. He nodded.

_'In fact, I do. And they'll be more than happy to help you guys, once you explain everything.'_

"Who?" He smiled at me.

_'The Pyramids.'_ My mouth fell open.

"The Pyramids? You mean the most deadly gang in all of Japan that no one knows who they are or how to **find **them? The gang that kills people if they even get close to finding out one of their members identities? The one that has **_never lost a single member_**? THAT PYRAMIDS?_" _He laughed and nodded.

_'That'd be the one.'_

"Do you want us to be killed?" He just shook his head.

_'I told you, they'd be more than happy to help. They owe me, just cash in my debt.'_ I held my hands up.

"Wait, how do they _'owe you'_?" He just shook his head.

_'Don't worry about it. They'll be a great help to you, Jaden. Trust me.'_

"I do." It was the truth. Even though he was dead, I trusted Mark more than ever. He smiled at me. "But how do I find this un-findable gang?" He laughed.

_'Don't worry. Tomorrow, I want you and Jesse to go get them. I'll give you the directions.'_

"Okay…how?" That's all I really wanted to know. He just shook his head.

_'Jaden, I'm dead. I can do **anything**!' _I laughed and nodded.

"Alright, we'll go. But why just Jesse and me?" Mark looked at me.

_'Because, the only people they would want to meet would be the two leaders, and that's the two of you. Try not to bring anyone else, alright?' _I just nodded.

"Whatever you say, Mark."

"Who are you talking to, Jaden?" Alexis asked from behind me.

"Mark." I turned to look at her. She had a worried look on her face.

"Babe-" she sat down next to me, pulling her robe tighter around herself. "Mark's dead." I nodded and looked away from her. Mark left, because she was sitting where he was.

"I know." Of course I know. I said it a million times before I finally started talking to him. But that _was _Mark, not a figment of my imagination.

"Do you know what you're going to do?" She leaned against me and took my hand, lacing our fingers. I nodded and squeezed them.

"Yeah." I turned and kissed her forehead, which was closest to my lips. "I'm getting help."

**_xXx_**

_:D I love this chapter so much! It's very short, but kind of had to be!_

_Please review!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	8. Getting Help

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy! Also, there is a __**VERY IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE READ IT!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess; she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE!!!! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

"I don't think this is a good idea, mates," Jim said again. I sighed and pulled on my jacket. Jesse was doing the same.

"You've said that over fifty times already, Jim," I said as I fixed the sleeves on my jacket. He slammed his fist on the kitchen counter.

"Then how many more times do I have to say it before it finally sinks in?!" I sighed again and looked at him.

"I know it's not a good idea but we still have to do this. We need help, Jim, and Jesse and I are going to get it." He scowled at me but didn't say a word. Everyone knew I was right.

"I'll come with you," Tony said, stepping forward.

"No," I snapped. Everyone looked at me. I glared at him. "Jesse and I are the leaders. We'll go and we'll go alone." He scowled at me. He may technically be my older brother, but in my eyes, he was still younger than Jess. Therefore, he couldn't tell me what to do.

"What if the Skulls jump you?" Emmy asked. She had her arms wrapped tightly around herself. I looked at her and reached inside my jacket, pulling out a handgun. I flashed it to her.

"They won't get the chance to." She just nodded. I tucked the gun away and looked at Jesse. He grabbed the keys off of the hook by the sink and tossed them to me. I caught them easily.

"Ready to go?" he asked. I nodded. We turned and headed for the door. Suddenly, I was hit in the back of the head with something small and round. I turned around, rubbing the back of my head, at the same time Jesse did. Julie stood behind the kitchen counter, a bowl of grapes in front of her. Alexis stood just behind her, Maria in her arms.

"Hey, wait just a cotton picking minute," Julie said. Jesse made a move toward her, but I reached out and discreetly grabbed the back of his jacket, keeping him from approaching her. He glanced at me, but stopped moving.

"What?" I asked. She ignored me and pointed at Jesse.

"You come home in one piece or don't come home at all." She was trying to tease him, to loosen the mood, but the stress of the last few days was definitely taking its toll on her. He just gave her a small smile and nodded. Alexis looked at me.

'_Be Safe.'_

She mouthed those two words and that's all she needed to say…err…mouth. I just smiled at her and nodded. Then, without another word, Jesse and I left the house. I climbed into the driver's seat and turned on the car, buckling in as Jesse did.

'_Alright, Mark…where are we going?' _I never felt like such a big idiot. I sat there for only a few seconds before his voice spoke to me in the back of my mind.

'_Go left._' I sighed in relief, glad I wasn't losing my mind like I thought I was for a moment. Jesse glanced at me confused but when I didn't look back at him, he shrugged and looked back out the window. I put the car in 'drive' and drove the direction Mark told me to.

I just hoped the Pyramids didn't kill first and ask questions later.

_**xXx**_

"There's help here?" Jesse asked as we got out of our recently parked car. I shrugged and slammed my door shut. Mark had ended up leading us over an hour away from Tony's place and to…Domino City. Now we were standing outside a small game shop. It was two stories with 'Kame' written in large, green letters on the upper story, just above the entrance door. An 'open' sign hung on the door from the inside.

"Yeah, I guess." He looked at me.

"You _guess_?" I sighed.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you how I know help is in there. You'd have me committed." He shrugged.

"So what? I want to do that to you every day." I smiled and slugged him playfully in the arm. He just laughed and returned the treatment.

"Funny. Let's see if we can get some help." He nodded and we went inside, him behind me. A bell chimed above my head when I opened the door. We were surrounded by games on all sides. A large, glass counter was at the very front of the store. An old man with grey, slightly spiky hair looked away from his newspaper and up at us.

"Hello young whippersnappers! What can Grandpa do for you today?" He smiled very nicely at us. Jesse was very tense behind me. I patted his hand without looking away from the man I was walking over to. I reached the counter and folded my hands on the glass. It was filled with many duel monster cards. On a normal day, when I was living my normal life, I would have loved to come to this store. But not today.

'_Okay, Mark. What do I say to this man? Is he a Pyramid?_' I couldn't believe that. Mark chuckled in the back of my head.

'_No, he's not. But he is your link to the Pyramids. Just say that you're here to collect Mark's debt._' I took a deep breath and looked Grandpa square in the eye.

"I'm here to collect Mark's debt." Jesse gasped from behind me and Grandpa's eyes grew wide. Then they slowly fell into a scowl. Without a word, he walked around the counter and quickly locked the front door, flipping the 'open' sign to 'closed'. Then he walked over to me.

"Mark's debt you say? And how do you intend to 'collect'?" I took another breath.

"We-" I gestured to Jesse and I "Need help. Our friends and family, not to mention ourselves, are on a list you don't want to be on." Grandpa folded his arms across his chest.

"And what kind of list is this?" I leaned down so I was level with his face.

"A hit list. The _Skulls _hit list." That got him. His face paled and his eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

"I thought the Bloods and Cribs disbanded those monsters," he gasped.

"We did," Jesse said with his eyes narrowed at me. Grandpa gasped again.

"You're Bloods?" I nodded, as did Jesse.

"The two main leaders."

"Who is L1?" Look at Grandpa, all into this gang lingo!

"I am," I said. He looked me up and down and then gestured into the living room behind him.

"Take a seat, please. I'll contact who you need." With that, he disappeared into another room. Jesse and I made our way over to the couch in the living room, sitting down. I didn't look around, but instead leaned forward with my elbows on my knees.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?" Jesse hissed. I looked at him.

"What?" He glared at me.

"Who is that old man calling? And what is Mark's debt you're collecting? I didn't even know Mark had any debt he could collect!" I took a deep breath and then released it slowly.

"Grandpa is calling the people who owe Mark a favor, one I'm cashing in because we need help!"

"I know we need help! That's the whole point of this little field trip, Mister L1!" He was visibly annoyed. "I just want to know who he's calling."

"The Pyramids," I whispered. Jesse paled.

"What?" I rolled my eyes and looked away from him.

"You heard me."

"Do you have a _death wish_?" I just sighed again. I do that when I'm very stressed out, which I currently am.

"Jesse, please, trust me. Trust Mark. Do you really think I'd come here just to get killed?" I looked at him. He was biting his lip, hesitating. When he looked at me, he just sighed and nodded.

"Alright, fine, I trust you." I smiled at him and he smiled back. Then we just sat there for awhile. I leaned back against the couch, Jesse doing the same. Suddenly, the door chimed. Jesse and I looked at each other. The shop was still closed, so this was who we were waiting for. He pressed his lips together and patted the side of his jacket. I gave him a look that questioned his sanity as someone cleared their throat. I turned around to see Grandpa.

"Boys," he took a step to the side and gestured to the five men standing behind him. "Meet the Pyramids."

_**xXx**_

_CLIFFHANGER!_

_Teehee, I bet you guys already think you know who the Pyramids are, but not a word! Shhh!_

_You'll probably guess a few, but some might surprise you! XD_

_Please review and you'll find out who they really are!_

_PS: I know Jaden already met Grandpa, but I'm going to say they both forgot or they haven't met. You decide!_

_Okay, the note. The updates for my stories are going to more spread out and few and far between. I don't want to do this but guys, I'm freaking out right now! I'm afraid I'm going to breakdown any day now with school and everything right now. I'm just really behind in a class already and I need to catch up and keep homework under control before I can write freely like I want to. I'm really sorry, just understand, please. ____ Thanks!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	9. The Pyramids

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess; she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE!!!! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

When I first thought about meeting the infamous Pyramids, I was thinking they would be these very tough, strong guys who look like they belong in a gang. But, who the Pyramids really were was something I wasn't expecting at all.

"So, you're here to collect Mark's debt?" a Brooklyn accented voice asked. I nodded.

"Yeah." The man who asked stepped into the light. He had blonde hair that looked like a knock off of Elvis. He had brown eyes and a strong looking face. He was dressed in light jeans and a white muscle shirt with a green leather jacket. I knew exactly who he was. He was the famous pro duelist, Joey Wheeler.

"How do you know Mark?" a different man asked. His voice was a little deeper than Joey's. I recognized him immediately, even before he stepped into the light. He had dark brown hair with bangs that fell just between his eyes. He had dark blue eyes that fit perfectly in with his signature monster: The Blue Eyes White Dragon. Joey looked at him.

"Gramps already told us, Rich Boy," he said. 'Rich Boy' glared heatedly at his blonde haired companion.

"I don't recall asking _you_, Mutt!" Joey leaned forward, his hand balled into a fist. A vein was pulsing in on his forehead.

"What was that?" Before anymore could be said between the two, another man came forward. He had brown eyes with matching brown hair. His hair was styled so it came out to a point in front of him. He walked over to Joey and grabbed him around the neck, pulling him into a headlock.

"Knock it off, Joey," he said. Joey struggled in his grip, trying to pry his arm away from his windpipe.

"Gah! Lemme go, Tristan!" He was gagging slightly. Tristan sighed and dropped him quickly. He grumbled as he rubbed his throat. Another man stepped forward. He had pale colored hair that was long and slightly spiked. There were interesting marks underneath each of his purple eyes. He wore golden pendants in his ears. He had a black vest with metal shoulder bars on over a blue muscle shirt with black pants and biker boots. He was also a very familiar face.

"We have more important things to deal with that doesn't involve the two of you bickering like school children," he said. Joey rolled his eyes and stood up, dusting himself off.

"Whatever, Marik. I'll control myself as long as Rich Boy does the same." 'Rich Boy' snorted.

"A Mutt can't control himself. That's why he has a master." Joey's vein pulsed again. He opened his mouth to say something when the very last man spoke up.

"That's enough, Joey, Seto." He stepped into the light, revealing his strong face, deep purple eyes, and interesting hair style: spiked black and red with yellow highlights. He wore all black and was the most familiar of the group. He walked to me and extended his hand. "Atem Adams **(1)**. I'm the leader of the Pyramids." I took his hand and shook it.

"Jaden Yuki. I'm the leader of the Bloods." Atem nodded and gestured for me to sit down. Before we could, Joey stepped forward and lightly pushed Atem back.

"Hold up." Atem raised his eyebrow at him, but complied. I looked at him confused. Joey walked over to me and reached into my jacket. I jerked back slightly, but not enough to get away. He grabbed my concealed gun and pulled it out. As soon as I saw the barrel, my instinct kicked in.

Without thinking, I grabbed his wrist that was holding the gun. Then I shot my other hand forward and popped his shoulder out of its socket. Before he could gasp in pain or realize what was happening, I flipped over him, shoving him to the ground, and pinning his now-dislocated arm behind his back. My gun clattered to the floor.

All of that took only three seconds.

"Gah!" Joey cried out. I kept him pinned, my hands pressing his arm to his back as my knee jabbed into his lower back.

"Three seconds, not bad at all," Kaiba said, sounding quite proud. Joey glared at him.

"Shut it, Rich Boy!"

"You really shouldn't have done that, Joey," Jesse said. He knelled down next to me, picking up my gun and setting it on the table. He also set his own down next to it. He looked at Joey, leaning down so they were level. "He wasn't the best fighter in the Bloods for nothing." Joey scowled at him. I blinked once and released his arm, standing up quickly.

"Sorry…I'm just on edge lately," I apologized quickly. Atem just chuckled and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"It's quite alright, Jaden. Joey shouldn't have grabbed your gun; it's just a habit of his. I apologize." I just nodded.

"Really, its okay, kid. You got some great moves. Maybe you could show me them someday," Joey said. He stood up and, just as Julie did the day before, placed his arm between his knees and popped his shoulder back into its socket.

"Sit," Atem ordered. I did as did everyone else.

"Look, Rich Boy. He goes to your school," Joey said, leaning back and kicking his feet up on the table. Grandpa knocked them off. Kaiba glared at him. I blinked and looked down. I forgot that I was wearing my Slifer Blazer.

"Enough, Joey. We're not here to discuss Kaiba's Duel Academies," Atem ordered. Joey just sighed and nodded.

"Right, right. So, what do you need our help with, Jaden?" Atem rolled his eyes and Tristan smacked Joey on the back of the head. "What the hell, Tristan?" He didn't look happy. Tristan rolled his eyes.

"Idiot. Let Atem ask the questions." Joey mumbled some things under his breath.

"Who is that next to you, Jaden?" Marik asked. I glanced over at Jesse. He was sitting forward, like me. He didn't seem as stressed as he was a few moments before.

"I'm Jesse Andersen, second in command of the Bloods," he introduced himself. Everyone nodded.

"Well, Jesse, Jaden, what is it you need of us?" Atem asked. I cleared my throat and looked back at him.

"We need your help." Kaiba looked at me.

"What kind of help?"

"We're on a very bad list," I said. Joey rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Listen kid, we can't help you get off of Santa's Naughty list, sorry." He turned to leave when I spoke up.

"It's the Skulls Hit List." He froze, as did everyone else in the room. He whirled around and fell back into his seat.

"Explain."

"JOEY!" Marik and Tristan yelled. Kaiba rolled his eyes.

"Someone put a muzzle on that mutt." Joey shot him a glare before clamping his hand over his mouth, looking at his leader. Atem just sighed and looked at me, gesturing toward me. I took a deep breath.

"Okay, obviously you guys have heard of the Skulls," I began.

"No one in all of Japan doesn't know of the Skulls," Tristan butted in. Marik nodded.

"Yes, but I thought you and the Cribs disbanded them years ago." I nodded.

"We did."

"But they swore revenge on us and now they're out to collect," Jesse said. Atem leaned back against the couch and looked at us.

"How so?" I felt my eyes darken and Jesse turned away from them, looking at the wall. His hands clenched into fists.

"They already killed one of us and have nearly killed another twice. Not to mention they killed the only remaining Crib leader," I said. Atem leaned forward, lacing his fingers underneath his chin as he looked at me.

"Why do you think you need our help? You Bloods handled yourselves quite well last time you fought the Skulls," he said.

"This time is different," Jesse said. He raised his eyebrow at him.

"Oh and how is that?" Jesse looked at me. I glanced at him and then back at Atem.

"There's less of us, probably more of them. And we have much more to lose." The Pyramids looked at each other. Atem took a deep breath and leaned back.

"How many of you can actually fight?"

"Well, technically five, but it might just be safer to say four," I said, glancing at the ceiling as I thought.

"That few? What happened to the rest of you leaders? I thought there were nine," Kaiba said. I glared at him.

"There _were_, before the huge war last year that resulted in the disbanding of the Blood and Crib gangs. Mark, Maria, and Danny were all killed because of that war, as was Adrian and the rest of the Crib leaders. Chris was just killed by the Skulls and his girlfriend Emmy is pregnant with their baby, so she isn't fighting. Not to mention that she's a wreck and would be more of a hindrance than help," I explained rather snappy.

"Why is it safer to say four than five?" Marik asked. I looked at Jesse. He had his eyes focused on his hands.

"Julie is Jesse's girlfriend, the one who was nearly killed twice. She's a good fighter, but she might want to stay out of the fight and take care of Maria," I said.

"I thought you said Maria was dead?" Tristan asked. Jesse looked at him.

"Maria is our daughter." The Pyramids stayed silent. Atem looked at me.

"You have a sister, do you not, Jaden?" I blinked, confused.

"Yes, she's eleven." I didn't understand that question at all.

"Do you have someone other than her that you care for?" he continued. Alexis flashed across my eyes.

"Yes," I whispered. Atem nodded and stood up. He headed out of the room.

"Jaden, please follow me. I'd like to talk to you in private." I hesitated for a millisecond before standing up and following him.

_**xXx**_

_:D Okay, that's the end of this chapter!_

_Please review! Seriously, please review! I'm not getting that many guys! ____ Please review!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**

**1: Atem Adams is the general name I use whenever I add in Atem. You'll find out later why he's here. ;)**


	10. Leader to Leader

_OMG! 100 hundred reviews! You guys rock! :D Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess; she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE!!!! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

Atem lead me into the kitchen, closing the door behind us. He gestured for me to sit at the small table as he sat down himself. I sat down where he pointed. We just sat there for a few moments, him just staring at me. I felt a little uncomfortable, but I remained still and kept my gaze on Atem. He took a deep breath and leaned back.

"You and your members are very close, correct?" he asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, we've grown up together. The Bloods brought us together, made us family, and now it could kill us all." He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table.

"You didn't think that being in a gang would be safe, did you?" I shook my head.

"I never thought that. In fact, when I was brought into the Bloods, it was because I saved Mark's life." He raised his eyebrow.

"How so?"

"He was fighting a small gang all by himself. There was about ten or fifteen of them and they were about to kill him when I showed up. I was just passing by on my way to Jess when I heard the noise. I just acted on instinct, rushing in and taking down everyone. I had no idea Mark was the infamous Blood leader. Before I knew it, the gang was gone and Mark was offering me a place in the Bloods as L2. At first, I didn't want to. I couldn't imagine myself as a gang, but when he offered safety for Jess, I couldn't refuse. At that time, she was the most important thing in my life."

"Are you saying that she isn't anymore?" I blinked once and looked up at him in shock. I hadn't realized that I was looking down at my hands.

"What? Of course not! Jess still means the world to me. It's just that…there are people in my life now who are also my life." My face fell slightly, realizing exactly what I was saying. He smiled and folded his arms across the tabletop.

"Is that why you are asking for our help? Because you need to protect everyone else in your life now?" He sounded like he already knew the answer, and being who he is, it wouldn't surprise me if he did.

"Yes." Part of me felt like I was being a weak idiot, but the other part, the stronger part, knew I was making the right decision asking for help when we needed it.

"But you're also asking for help because you're not the only one who has a lot to lose," he stated. My thoughts flipped to Jesse, who not only has Julie but Maria. Then to Emmy, who already lost her world.

"Yes."

"And because you're the leader, you feel that it's your responsibility to make sure everyone is safe, that if anyone should be in danger it should be you." I blinked and nodded.

"Yes."

"And you feel that you can't handle it, that you weren't made to deal with this all. That if you can't think of a proper plan, people who don't deserve to die will."

"Yes. How do you know all this?" Atem, who was smiling, gave me a solemn expression.

"Leader to leader, Jaden, that's how I feel every day." I blinked in shock.

"Really?" He nodded.

"Yes, but because we're the Pyramids, I don't have the luxury of going to ask for help." I frowned.

"Part of me is feeling that by asking for help I'm admitting that I'm too weak to protect those I love," I admitted, glancing down at my hands.

"But that is where you are wrong, Jaden. By admitting that you need help in order to protect those you love shows that you are strong enough to protect them." I looked up at him.

"I'm confused." He smiled softly at me.

"Those who hide their feelings, who try to handle the stress they feel by themselves, are probably the weakest people in the world. But people who can express their feelings and ask for help when they need it are the strongest." He took a deep breath. "You want our help, correct?" I shook my head.

"No, I don't want your help." Atem raised his eyebrow. "I _need_ your help." He chuckled and looked at me.

"And you have it."

_**xXx**_

_Yeah, very short, I know. But it was a -coughs- filler._

_:D Anyway, review and I'll update!_

_Actually...I'll update tomorrow because this is so short but only if you guys review! I mean it! Review!!! I can see you, you reader who doesn't review. Shame on you! SHAME!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	11. Not Such a Homefield Advantage

_Wow, you guys rock! :) Well, just like I promised! Here's your bonus chapter for the last one being uber short! ENJOY!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess; she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE!!!! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

_**xXx**_

_**Narrative POV**_

"I don't like that they went by themselves," Jim said as he kicked his feet up on the coffee table. Julie threw her apple that she was eating at his head.

"They can handle themselves better than anyone else. Besides, why would you need to be there? The two leaders should be the only ones to go get help," she said. He just sighed and threw her apple back at her. She took a fresh bite out of it and folded her legs up below her.

"Julie," Alexis called. Said woman looked up to see her walking down the stairs with Maria in her arms. She was giggling loudly and tugging at Alexis' hair. In other words, Alexis couldn't put her down for a nap. "Help." Julie laughed and set her apple down.

"I'm coming." She stood up and headed for the stairs. Just as she walked around the corner of the couch, a gunshot suddenly rang out through the air. Glass shattered and she fell to the ground.

"Julie!" Jim screamed, kicking over the couch and pulling her around behind it. Everyone else quickly dove to the ground and got behind it as well. Tony and Axel both knocked over the steel dining room table and shoved it in front of the couch to serve as extra protection.

"Julie, are you okay?" Jess asked quickly. Julie hissed loudly and pressed her palm against her shoulder. Blood was running down her arm and through her fingers.

"I'll survive." Jim shook his head and forced her hand back slightly so he could examine the wound himself.

"The bullet didn't pass completely through." He tugged off his orange bandana from around his neck and folded it up, placing it over the wound and forcing Julie to press her hand against it. "You need a hospital and stat."

"But we can't leave right now. The Skull who shot her is still out there, still waiting," Axel said. He was crouched next to Jim. Alexis moved over to Julie, Maria still in her arms. She was crying.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Julie nodded and raised her injured arm up to lightly stroke Maria's hair, calming her down.

"Fine." Emmy crawled over to the trio and sat down between her and Jim.

"How do we get out of here?" Jim and Axel looked at each other and then at her.

"We have a plan. Stay here," Jim said. Everyone looked at each other confused. Axel began to army crawl out of the safety of the couch. But the shooter didn't shoot at him.

"Why isn't Axel being shot at?" Blair asked as said boy ran upstairs, still not being fired at. Jim looked honestly confused.

"I don't know. Maybe it's not a Skull out there," he said. Tony leaned around the couch to look out the sliding glass door. The glass was shattered on the ground, showing that was where the shot came from.

"Whoever it was, they have a great eye." Syrus looked at him.

"Why would you say that?" He leaned back against the couch back to safety.

"Because they're at least five hundred yards away from the house, because that's as far back they have to be in order not to be seen." As he said that, Julie suddenly froze her face paling and her breath hitching in her throat. Alexis placed her hand on Julie's, which was still on her daughter's head.

"Julie, are you okay?" Everyone looked at her. Her eyes were wide.

"No…it…he…they…NO!" She was quiet as she spoke toward the beginning but she screamed at the end. Maria began to cry again as everyone else simply jumped.

"What is it, Julie?" Jim demanded.

"No time! We have to get a hold of Jesse and Jaden _**now**_!"

"And we will, once we get you to the hospital, once we get out of here," Axel said. Everyone looked up to see him lying on his stomach with a rifle in front of him. His eye was looking through the scope. He kept his face passive as he looked for his target. Then, without any warning, he pulled the trigger. A loud _bang _rang through the house, causing everyone to cover their ears. Alexis pressed Maria's head into her chest. As the silence became deafening, Axel jumped down from the stairs. He tugged Chazz to his feet as he landed next to him. "Quickly, I barely injured him."

Without a second thought, everyone jumped to their feet and ran out of the house. Jim wrapped his arm around Julie and acted as her shield. They all made it into the cars and got away from the house (and shooter) before anyone else was hurt.

"Where's the closest hospital?" Jim asked the driver, who was Tony. Axel was driving the other van.

"Domino City."

"What's wrong with Ochi City Hospital?" Bastion asked. Jim looked at him.

"They refuse to tend to gang members." Tony nodded.

"And Domino City is the closest one that will take care of gang members." Julie turned to look at Alexis.

"When we get to the hospital, call Jesse and tell him and Jaden to get there immediately." Alexis looked at her and nodded.

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

"So we're helping them, Atem?" Joey asked. He nodded at him. We had just walked back into the room.

"Yes. The Skulls shouldn't have just been the Bloods and Cribs problem to begin with, but they were and they handled it. We're going to help them now, because they need it." Joey smiled and cracked his knuckles.

"Awesome, because I've been getting bored at home. I need some good fighting." Kaiba rolled his eyes, Marik and Tristan sighed, and Atem chuckled. Jesse and I both smiled at each other.

"Thank you," I said. Atem placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed it.

"So what's the plan?" Tristan asked. Atem and I sat back down with the others.

"Well, maybe we could," I began but was cut off by a phone ringing. I looked at Jesse. He pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open.

"Hello?" Kaiba let out an annoyed sigh. Jesse's face paled and his eyes grew wide suddenly. He shot to his feet and I did only a second later. "We'll be there in as soon as we can." Then he snapped his phone shut and shoved it in his pants pocket.

"What happened?" I asked. He looked at me.

"A Skull attacked the house; it was a sniper apparently and they shot Julie!"

"Is she okay?" He nodded.

"It was Alexis on the phone, and she said so. They're at the Domino City Hospital."

"Everyone?" He nodded again.

"Everyone." I turned around and walked past Kaiba, shoving my feet into my shoes.

"Let's go." Jesse was next to me, shoving his own feet into his shoes.

"We'll go with you," Atem said. I dug the keys out of my blazer pocket and looked at him. He and the other Pyramids were all preparing to leave.

"Are you sure?" I asked. He just smiled at me and slipped his arms into his jacket.

"We promised to help you, and we're going to." Jesse and I smiled at each other and nodded.

"Let's go then." We left the shop with a quick goodbye to Grandpa. Jesse and I got into our car as everyone else got into their own.

"Follow me, Jaden," Atem said. I nodded and he began to lead everyone toward the hospital.

"I guess we don't have the home field advantage anymore," Jesse whispered. My hand tightened around the wheel.

"They're fighting dirty, Jesse, that's all." I looked at him. "We still have the advantage." He gave me a sad look.

"I really hope you're right, Jaden." I looked back out the window.

"You and me both."

_**xXx**_

_Dun dun duunn! All done with this one!_

_We're getting to some good parts, guys! Review and I'll update as soon as I can!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	12. Can't Fight What We Don't Know

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess; she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE!!!! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

Jesse and I jumped out of the car. We had just reached Domino City Hospital. The Pyramids parked around us but we didn't wait for them. We ran into the building, only pausing momentarily for the doors to open.

"You guys sure got here fast," Jim said once he noticed us. Everyone else quickly looked at us. Jesse sped over to him. Alexis stood up and walked over to me. She was holding Maria.

"How's Julie?" Jesse asked. Jim placed his hands on his shoulder.

"Whoa, calm down, mate. She's perfectly alright. They're removing the bullet and bandaging her up. She won't even need a sling or anything." Jesse breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

"Sounds like she sure lucked out," Tristan said. Everyone quickly spun around to see him and the others standing behind me. Their jaws fell once they recognized them.

"Joey Wheeler! Seto Kaiba! Marik Ishtar! YUGI MUTOU!" Chazz yelled. Joey smirked and Seto.

"Hear that, Rich Boy? He said _my _name first." Kaiba glared at him but said nothing. Atem chuckled and took a step forward.

"I'm not Yugi. My name is Atem Adams. Yugi is just a very close friend," he explained. Aster raised an eyebrow.

"You're not related at all?" Atem shook his head. "But you guys look so similar." He chuckled again.

"We get that a lot, but I assure you we're not related." He smiled somewhat knowingly at his other members. All of them, even Kaiba, gave him some knowing smirk back. I looked at Jesse with an eyebrow raised. He just shrugged.

"Who's the other guy?" Blair asked. Tristan pointed at himself.

"Me? I'm Tristan Taylor." Axel looked at me.

"Any particular reason you have four great duelists and some random person with you, Jaden?" he asked. Tristan deflated slightly at hearing that. Joey just laughed at him.

"I thought you left to get help," Tony barked. I glared at him.

"I did get help! And what concern is it to you anyway!? You're not one of us, Tony!" He pointed at me.

"Neither are any of your friends from Duel Academy yet here they all are!" I flinched slightly. Alexis grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

"Hey, over stepping your place there, Tony," Jesse said. Jim and Axel nodded.

"We're here because we want to be here, Tony. Jay doesn't want us here anyway," Syrus said. Tony just folded his arms across his chest.

"How can they help us, Jaden?" Bastion asked jerking his head toward the men standing behind me. I glanced back at them. Atem looked at me and smiled. He looked at Bastion.

"We can't say how we can help here." Atticus cocked his head to the side.

"Why?"

"Because we'd be arrested," Joey said as he sat down in an armchair. Everyone else slowly sat down. "So wheres…" He looked at me. "What's her name?" I sighed.

"Julie." He nodded.

"Yeah, where's Julie?"

"I'm right here. Who's asking?" We turned to see her walking toward us. She was buttoning up some old flannel shirt. I recognized it as Jesse's. She must have dumped her ruined shirt. Jesse quickly went over to her.

"Are you okay?" She took a deep breath and looked at him.

"Physically, yes. The doctors assured me I'll be fine. But…Jesse." She took his hands and pulled him toward the couches around us; no one was sitting on this one for some strange reason. She forced him to sit down but remained standing herself. He was looking at her confused. "I know who shot me." His eyes grew wide and he jumped to his feet.

"Who?" He looked ready to go hunt him down and kill the bastard; something I'd gladly help him do.

"Giese," she answered. Jesse froze. He slowly turned to look at her.

"Giese?" he gasped. She stared at him worried and nodded. He blinked a few times and then staggered forward.

"Jesse!" she screamed as she grabbed him. She supported him as his legs buckled underneath him. I quickly jumped up and rushed over to them.

"Jesse, buddy, can you hear me?" I called out to him. His eyes were wide and blank.

"He's in shock," Julie said. She began pulling him toward the couch. "Help me set him down." I nodded and we both helped him sit down on it. He was still staring at nothing. "Jesse, baby, please speak to me." She was holding his hands tightly and trying to get some response out of him. Everyone moved to sit down around us, Jim on the other side of Julie and Alexis on the other side of me.

"Who's Giese?" I asked. Jesse choked on something, almost a sob, and began to shake. Julie squeezed his hands noticeably.

"He's not here, Jesse," she assured him. I gasped when I saw something I've never seen before…ever….There were tears running down Jesse's face. _Tears running down his face_. Jesse has never cried in front of me…ever! Then again, I've never cried in front of him. Hmm, we're not very open friends, are we?

"Who is Giese, Julie?" I demanded. She looked at me; she looked heartbroken.

"He's Jesse's uncle, the one that brought him here. The worst guardian he's ever had." Jim placed his hand on her thigh. She looked at him.

"How bad is worst?" he asked. She looked at him and was about to respond when Jesse suddenly turned to her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, his face buried in her chest. She stroked his hair and held him tightly.

"I thought Bloods were tough," Kaiba whispered to Marik. Julie heard him and whipped her head in his direction. Her eyes were set in a deadly glare.

"How would you react if the man that stole your innocence suddenly reappeared in your life after eight years?" she snarled. Everyone gasped when they heard that. Jesse continued to shake, his hands contracting around Julie's shirt.

"Oh…my god," I whispered as I turned my head away from them to look at the ground. Atem glared at Seto, who seemed to be wishing he was anywhere else but here. "I never knew."

"I didn't want you to know," Jesse whispered. I tuned to see him. He was slowly pulling away from Julie, but he still looked really freaked out. Neither of them were letting go of each other. "I wanted to forget all about that man." He let out a shaky breath.

"So this Giese man is your uncle?" Atem asked. He was looking at him with very caring eyes. Even Joey, Tristan, and Marik looked worried. Kaiba still looked to be looking for a rock to crawl under…with his normal, cool composure of course. Jesse flinched at hearing that name. He shook his head.

"He isn't really my uncle. He made that up when he saw my picture in the adoption papers. He just wanted me for…his sick pleasures." He sounded extremely afraid as he admitted this. Julie was holding his hands tightly.

"Why does Julie think he's the shooter?" Axel asked. She whirled around to glare at him.

"Do you think I'd tell Jesse _anything _about Giese if I wasn't one hundred percent positive I was right?" Axel was unfazed by the venom in her voice. "But to answer your question, Axel, I **know **it's Giese because Tony explained he had to be able to get a clear shot from over five hundred yards away. Giese is the only man who would even want to come after us Bloods with that kind of skill."

"He's an excellent marksman?" Joey asked. Jesse nodded.

"Yes. He was a brilliant hunter. I still remember the house was filled with all of his trophies. Sometimes I was afraid I'd end up among them." He pulled his hands away from Julie and buried his face in them. She shifted to rubbing his back.

"Do you actually think he's a member of the Skulls?" Jim asked. Jesse shrugged.

"It wouldn't surprise me one bit. He wasn't pleased at all when I finally ran away from him." Axel leaned back against the couch and looked at the ceiling.

"Actually, with that information, I can understand why it would be Giese. He did, after all, only shoot Julie. Even after I came into perfect range and was a prime target. He came with only one objective."

"Or order," Atem said. We all looked at him. He had his hands folded in front of his face.

"What do you mean?" I asked. He lowered his hands and looked at me.

"Well, you guys completely or nearly completely wiped out the Skulls years ago. The only remaining member or members would most likely seek help from people who hold grudges against you guys. If they found out about Giese and Jesse, they very well likely asked him to join for the chance to get revenge on him for leaving him." Jesse's face hardened.

"So that's why he only shot Julie? To get to _me?_" Boy, he sounded pissed! Atem nodded.

"From what I gathered…yes." Jesse cursed under his breath and shook his head. Julie grabbed his hands and squeezed them.

"Relax, I'm fine."

"But I'm not." She frowned and leaned against him, holding him tightly. He turned his head to brush his lips over the top of her head. He turned toward me and reached across me to grab Maria from Alexis, who handed her over. He cradled her in his arms as he leaned back against the couch. I looked away from him.

"So, Atem, you're saying that any of our old enemies could be members of the new Skulls?" Axel asked. Atem nodded.

"Who better to take you out than people who have motive?" We Bloods looked at each other. We'd gathered a lot of enemies over the years. I noticed Axel's face grow hard. But I looked away from him when Alexis squeezed my hand tightly. I looked at her and then away. I couldn't look at her and I don't know why. I saw Jesse and Julie murmuring out quietly to each other out of my peripheral.

I never knew how rough a life he had before I met him years ago. My mind wandered back to when I first met Jesse. He was struggling to get away…from a…man with…guns…a…hunter…I quickly looked at him

"_That's _Giese?" I screamed suddenly. Jesse's head snapped up to look at me confused. Then realization flashed across his eyes and his expression fell. Obviously he forgot I'd met Giese once.

And I kicked his ass.

"Perfect. You know what we just realized don't you?" he asked. I cursed under my breath and looked down at the floor.

"What did you just realize?" Joey asked. I began shaking my head. I took my hands away from Alexis to thread them through my hair.

"I'm a fucking idiot!" I whispered.

"Jesse, what is Onii-chan talking about?" Jess asked. I looked up at him. He had started rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. Julie was holding Maria.

"Jaden?" Alexis called. I just shook my head again.

"Damn it, someone tell me what the _hell _is going on!" Emmy yelled. I sighed and looked up at her.

"I've met Giese. When I first met Jesse. Giese was pretty much beating the living shit of him. So, being…well, me, I jumped in and kicked Giese's ass."

"So?" Jim asked. Jesse looked at him.

"Giese didn't like that."

"So now not only is Giese out for revenge on you, Jesse, but on Jaden as well," Atem said. Everyone gasped and quickly looked at me. Because Giese was after me, he'd also be after everyone else I held dear. This meant Jess, Alexis, and all of my friends.

"This day just keeps getting worse and worse," I mumbled. "I forgot all about that." Jesse looked at me.

"I'm glad you did. Giese is not the kind of guy you'd want to remember." I just nodded.

"So Giese is a Skull. Should we be afraid?" Bastion asked.

"Yes," Jesse said quickly. I looked at Atem. He looked like he was thinking.

"Where'd Axel go?" Blair asked. Jesse and I quickly looked to where he should be sitting. Sure enough, he was gone. We looked at each other.

"He said he had something he needed to do," Jim said.

"What kind of thing?" Marik asked. Jim shrugged.

"It's Axel. You never know with him."

"Does Axel have an enemy that may want him dead?" Kaiba asked. My eyes grew wide and my head whipped up to see Jim, Jesse, Julie, and Emmy wearing similar expressions. "I'm taking that as a yes."

"He wouldn't go alone," Jesse said. Suddenly a gunshot rang through the air.

"He would!" I yelled as I jumped up. Jim was up before me and was running in the direction the sound came from. The sound came from the back of the hospital. I glanced back to see everyone running after us. Jim slammed through the doors and froze. I nearly crashed into him.

"Jim, tell me we're not one less." He looked at me.

"Than I'd be lying." I swallowed and looked around him. I froze.

"No…not again." Axel lay on the ground in front of us, bleeding profusely from a fatal gunshot in the head. It wasn't as professional as Chris' murder, but the affect was the same.

"Now we're down to five," Jesse said. I nodded mutely. Alexis walked over to me and grabbed my hand, squeezing it. I just continued to stare at Axel's lifeless body. Jim walked over to it, knelling down next to it. He pulled something out of his blood.

"I just figured out another member of the Skulls," he said.

"Who?" Marik asked. Jim stood up and looked at us. He held up what he just pulled out of Axel's blood between his thumb and forefinger. It was a rubber snake. More specifically, a viper.

"Viper," I said. He nodded. His face was very grim. Once Axel officially jumped ship to us, they had become very close. Now Axel was dead. Killed by the very man that trained him to be the man he was: Viper. That was the only name Axel gave us about the man.

"So there's Giese and Viper. That can't be it," Joey said placing his thumbnail to his lips. I nodded.

"It's not and as long as we're in the dark, we might as well be running around screaming 'Come and kill me now, Mr. and Mrs. Skulls!'" I said.

"Jaden," Alexis whispered. She placed her hand on my arm. I jerked away from her, infuriated. I began pacing.

"That's not true, Jaden," Jesse said. I stopped my pacing and glared at him.

"It so is! Giese nearly killed Julie and Viper just fucking killed Axel! We had no knowledge of them being in the Skulls and even though we know now, we can't protect ourselves from them! Giese you said yourself is a great hunter and we know that Viper is. For God's sake, he trained Axel! We might as well be running around with giant targets on our heads!" Atem took a step forward.

"I think you're being a bit ridiculous, Jaden. Just relax and we'll figure something out." I turned my glare to him.

"How can we figure something out when we know next to nothing!? Damn it, Atem! We can't fight what we don't know!"

"But you can't know anything about the Skulls. There's just no way," Hassleberry said.

"That's my point!" I yelled. Alexis quickly walked over to me, taking my hands and refusing to let go when I tried to tug them free. I just took in an unsteady breath.

"Actually…that's not entirely true," Joey said. I blinked and looked up at him confused. Everyone else was looking at him confused.

"Mind explaining, Mutt?" Kaiba asked. Joey rolled his eyes and looked at Atem.

"I told you about them, Atem." Atem nodded.

"Ah, yes. Them. I forgot about them, they could really help us out." He looked at me. I narrowed my eyes.

"Who are they?"

"Old members of the Skulls," Joey said. I blinked once.

"Wait, when I said that the Skulls were back, you guys freaked out. You mean you _knew _about the Skulls?" I demanded. Joey looked around the place.

"Well, I kind of forgot about them until now. I met them a few months back. They saved my life and knew I was a Pyramid but because they saved me, I spared their life. Atem was the only one I told about them."

"Why did they leave the Skulls?" Emmy asked.

"I don't know. You'd have to ask them."

"Will they help us?" I asked. Joey smiled.

"We sure can ask. I know how to find them. You, me, Jesse, and Atem can leave right away to go talk to them. Everyone else can go to the game shop and wait for us."

"They're close?" Jesse asked. He knew who we were talking about. All of us had left Axel's body. There was nothing we could do for him; he was already where he needed to be. Joey nodded.

"Yeah. They live just a twenty minute drive from here in New Domino City." Atticus looked at us as he walked over to a car that was heading to the game shop.

"Who are you guys talking about?" I looked at him, my hand on the handle of the passenger side door.

"The Signers."

_**xXx**_

_A ha! :D_

_Not gonna say much, just review, review, review!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	13. The Signers

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess; she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE!!!! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

"Do you think it was a good idea to leave the gang alone?" I asked Atem. I glanced back at him. He was sitting behind Joey. He smiled reassuringly at me.

"They'll be perfectly alright, Jaden. Marik, Tristan, and Kaiba aren't just a member of the Pyramids because of their looks or because they're friends. They can handle themselves like nothing you've ever seen, so trust them." I sighed and nodded, turning back around in my seat. Joey was driving us down the busy streets of New Domino City.

"Why is there a New Domino City when there is still Domino City?" Jesse asked. Joey shrugged.

"No idea. This city was built by some guy named Goodwin so he could create a home field for his new invention, Turbo Dueling." He looked back at Jesse in the rearview mirror. "That's probably the only thing to it." Jesse nodded and looked back out the window.

"So where are the Signers, Joey?" I asked. We were driving through a residential part of the city, but not a very rich part. Joey didn't answer but parked in front of a house. It was normal with a garage and one door. He stopped the engine.

"Here," he said. Jesse and I looked at each other. "Relax, they won't kill you. They left the Skulls, remember?" Jesse looked at him.

"Yeah, but why?" Joey looked around and then shrugged.

"No idea, but come on." He pointed at himself with his thumb. "I've got your back." He then jumped out of the car and slammed the door. Atem chuckled and patted mine and Jesse's shoulders.

"_I've _got your backs. If these Signers try anything, they'll wish they didn't." I felt surprisingly better at that and got out of the car. Jesse followed closely behind. Joey was waiting near the door. The three of us walked over to him. He gestured to the door.

"After you." I frowned but knocked. There was no answer. I knocked again. Still no answer.

"Guess they're not home," I said. Joey rolled his eyes and kicked open the door. He then shoved me and Jesse in.

"Geez, just throw us to the lions why don't you?" Jesse barked at him.

"Relax. You'll be fine," Joey said as he walked in. Atem smacked the back of his head and closed the door, or tried to. Joey broke it pretty darn good. I opened my mouth to say something but I suddenly jumped forward, shoving Jesse behind me, and caught a knife flying to hit Joey right in the heart. He jumped back in shock, hiding behind Atem slightly. The knife's blade was resting between my index and middle finger.

"Someone's got some nice skills," an Australian voice said. I turned around to see a blonde haired man sitting on a couch with his feet kicked up on the table. His hair was spiked and he had piercing purple eyes. My eyes narrowed at him and I flicked my wrist back toward him. The knife flipped around and the man ducked his head to the left. The knife embedded itself in the side of the couch right by his head. "And nice aim."

"Jack, did you _have _to try and kill him?" another voice demanded. Out of the shadows appeared another man. He had very spiky orange hair and pale purple eyes. There was a green bandana around his head with two metal rings pierced just above his right eye. Jack scoffed at his orange haired companion and tried to pry the knife out of the couch but failed. It was suck in the wooden frame. He blinked and strained his arms as he tried to pull it out. I smirked and jumped over the railing, as we were standing on an incline, and walked over to him. He glanced up at me but did nothing to stop my approach. I gripped the handle of the knife and pulled it out easily. I threw it in the air and caught the blade.

"Do you want this?" I asked. He scowled at me but took his knife back, sliding it into its sheath and into his coat pocket.

"Guess you're not as strong as you thought you were, Jack," the orange haired man said. Jack glared at him.

"Zip it, Crow."

"Can't you two go twenty minutes without arguing?" another male voice asked. I would have turned to see who it was because the voice came from behind me but a hand was suddenly placed on my shoulder. Pure instinct caused me to grip the hand and flip the owner over my shoulder. I slammed the man hard on the coffee table, shattering it. Jack's feet retreated just in time. I twisted the arm of the man to the point of breaking it. I glanced down to see I was holding the hand of an overly buff African male. He had long brown hair and dark brown eyes. He was staring at me in shock, as was the other two. Jesse walked over to me and grabbed my wrist, squeezing it and causing me to release the man's hand. He stood up without hesitation. Jesse pulled me back to where Joey and Atem were standing.

"Did you just get flipped, Greiger?" a female voice asked. "That would be a first." The African, Greiger, chuckled deeply and sat down on the couch next to Jack. I turned to see the owner of the new voice stepping into the room. The girl had darker colored red hair and amber eyes. Her hair was shorter in the back and longer in the front. Her bangs were rolled back by a metal device. She was smiling at the four of us. She glanced up at Joey. "Joey, it's been awhile." Joey smiled but made no move toward her.

"Yes, too long, Akiza."

"Why are you here?" she asked. He opened his mouth to answer when one final voice spoke up.

"He's here to ask for help." The voice was deep and obviously male. It came from behind us but I didn't glance back at it. The owner walked down the incline and came into view. He had spiked black hair with golden streaks through it. His eyes were a deep blue that seemed to peer deeper than the surface.

"Quick as always, Yusei," Joey said. Yusei nodded at him and looked at me. He glanced at Jesse, Atem, and then back at Joey.

"What do you need help with?" Joey gestured to me.

"I don't need your help. They do."

"And who are _they_?" Jack asked. Yusei turned quickly to shoot him a look before turning his attention back to me.

"My name is Jaden Yuki and I'm the current leader of the Bloods." Silence fell between all of us.

"I thought the Bloods disbanded last year?" Akiza asked.

"We did, but we've been forced to come together again, at least us leaders," Jesse said.

"What remains of us leaders I should say," I added. Yusei took a deep breath and looked back at Jack and Crow.

"Seems our old friends have finally made their move," he said. The pair nodded at him. Yusei turned back to me. "And you're here seeking our help because?"

"We've already lost two of our members. The last Crib leader was already killed, whether by the Skulls or faulty car parts we don't know. One of us has been nearly killed twice."

"Nearly? You mean they survived…twice?" Jack asked. Jesse smirked.

"Julie isn't one to be taken lightly." I chuckled and elbowed him slightly, telling him to keep his mouth shut. We still didn't know why they left the Skulls and if they held any grudges against us…

"You can relax, Jaden. We hold no grudges against you or your fellow Bloods. We joined the Skulls thinking we could do good and we left because we saw that they were only monsters," Yusei assured. I nodded and looked back at him. He gestured to an empty set of seats. "Please, sit down." We went over and sat down on the couch. I was sitting on the edge, Jesse was sitting back, and Atem and Joey were sitting on the arms. Crow went and sat down next to Jack, pinning him between himself and Greiger. Yusei on the other hand sat down on a lone chair, Akiza joining him. She sat in his lap without any problems.

"You came to ask us for help why? You Bloods disbanded the Skulls easily last time," Crow said. Jesse and I looked at each other and then burst out laughing.

"Easily! Ha! We _wish _it was easy! We've never fought a harder war!" Jesse said. I stopped laughing and shook my head.

"Well, last year wasn't a cake walk either, but that is only because we were betrayed and lost dear members, but that's the past and this is the present. We knew more about those Skulls. These new ones are more dangerous. We know two members because they hold grudges against two of ours. We need your help because you hold inside information," I said. Yusei shifted slightly in his seat, Akiza moving with him.

"Who's been killed?"

"Chris, Axel, and Craig. Chris and Axel were Bloods and Craig was the lone Crib leader. True, Axel was a Crib but he became a Blood." I said that last bit because of the confused looks I received. Joey looked at Yusei.

"Do you guys think you can help? There are a lot of people who are involved that don't belong," he said. Greiger raised an eyebrow.

"Who?" I shook my head slowly.

"My friends from Duel Academy, plus my family. I'm the only target but because of me they're all targets."

"You're the prime target, Jaden. When we were still with the Skulls, they talked of you frequently. You were the drive that brought the Skulls back," Jack said. I flinched slightly and kept my gaze on the floor.

"Good to know I'm the reason two my best friends have been killed and another one nearly killed."

"Jack, for once, shut your mouth," Yusei ordered. Jack grumbled some things but he listened to him. I could tell from that that Yusei was the leader of the Signers, which was good for me because I think he likes me.

"Your friends from Duel Academy…what can they do?" Akiza asked. I kept quiet.

"They're not real fighters, but they might be able to help in other ways. They're mainly here to be protected by us because if the Skulls found out that they were friends with Jaden," Jesse began to explain but Yusei cut him off.

"They'd be instant targets, I understand. I have other friends outside of the Signers who I also have to protect, so I understand completely." I glanced up and gave him a sad smile. He gave me one in return.

"So you'll help?" Joey asked. Yusei moved Akiza off of his lap and stood up. I stood up also. He walked over to me and extended his hand.

"We're in. We've got some people in the Skulls we'd also like to deal with," he said. I smirked and grabbed his hand.

Now the Bloods, the Pyramids, and the Signers were working together to take out the Skulls. Part of me was thankful for this help but another part of me feared that people who didn't deserve to die would die.

_**xXx**_

_Yeah, the Bloods have help!_

_Please review!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	14. Insider Info

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess; she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

"What can you tell us about the Skulls?" Joey asked. We were all sitting down in what I learned to be Yusei's house. Yusei folded his arms across his chest as he leaned back against the wall. Akiza was standing next to him, her hands folded behind her back. Jack, Crow, and Greiger continued to sit on the couch. We continued to sit where we were.

"We can tell you a lot, but if you want to know who the main leader is, than we can't help you. Only the two under leaders, one of which we know, know who he is." I looked at him.

"Who is the under leader you know?" Crow, Jack, and Yusei looked at each other. They turned back to look at us.

"Kalin. He was one of our best friends. He was also the one that got us to join the Skulls. He was furious when we left and formed the Signers," Jack answered.

"You don't know who the other under leader is?" Atem asked. They shook their heads.

"Who was all a member of the Skulls if I may ask?" Jesse asked. Greiger looked at him.

"Only Yusei, Crow, and Jack were members. I met Yusei in a turbo duel. He convinced me to join the Signers instead of going after someone the way I was planning."

"I met Yusei in a street duel and then again during a tournament. I wasn't exactly what you would call a crowd favorite. I was known as the Black Rose Witch but Yusei turned me around," Akiza answered. She turned to smile at him. He gave her a small smile in return and extended his hand toward her. She reached out and laced their fingers together. He continued to smile softly at her as he brought their joined hands to his lips, brushing them on the back of her hand. It was a sentimental scene, one I'm more than used to with Jesse and Julie, not to mention Chris and Emmy.

"So Kalin is one of two under leaders to the leader of the Skulls; who else is a member of the Skulls?" Atem asked. Crow leaned back against the couch, his hands clutching his knees.

"There's this one chick named Camula. She's a freaky chick," he answered. I cursed under my breath. He looked up at me confused. "You know her?" I nodded unwillingly.

"Yeah, I dueled her once back at Duel Academy during my first year. She was a member of a dueling team known as the Dark Riders. I defeated her. She has long green hair, gold eyes, and pale skin, am I right?" I looked up at him. He nodded. My eyes narrowed and I leaned back against the couch. "Great. I'm sick of vampires." Jesse looked at me.

"Wait, she's a vampire!" I nodded.

"She looks like one, acts like one, and duels them." Joey snorted and leaned back.

"Vampires are just a myth."

"Like we haven't seen things stranger than vampires, Joey," Atem noted. Joey blinked and then nodded.

"True."

"There's also Josie. She's not really that tough, but she is like a ninja. She can get the jump on you," Crow continued. Jesse and I nodded. We could handle someone like a ninja.

"There's also Giese," Jack said. Jesse tensed, his hands tightening on his knees. Yusei noticed this and looked at him. Akiza was leaning against him, their hands still linked. She looked really content with her eyes closed.

"You know Giese, Jesse?" he asked. Jesse nodded.

"Yes. He and I go way back."

"We already knew about Giese. He tried to kill Julie. We also know about Viper. He killed Axel," I said. The trio nodded in understanding.

"Giese is one sick mother, as is Viper," Crow said. My eyes narrowed.

"Who else is a member?" I asked getting impatient.

"Sartorius is the last one aside from Angelina," Jack said.

"Are you _kidding me!_" I yelled. Everyone looked at me in shock.

"You know Sartorius, Jaden?" Atem asked. I looked at him.

"Yeah, and he hates my guts! I kicked his ass last year at Duel Academy, something he wasn't particularly fond of."

"Damn kid, you've got more enemies than I do!" Joey said. I glared at him and leaned back.

"Sartorius is on the Skulls side, so we're fucked."

"Why?" Jesse asked.

"He's physic. I'm not kidding either, he really is. He can see the future so he'll know what we're planning before we do," I said. Atem and Joey looked at each other over mine and Jesse's heads.

"His physic powers are drastically weakened because of that battle you two had. We can't be sure he's not any better, but when we left he was still fighting to do anything with it. We should be fine," Yusei said. I nodded but couldn't relax.

"Angelina's already dead. Julie killed her at Duel Academy," Jesse said. Jack leaned back and crossed his legs.

"So that leaves the Skulls with Kalin, the leader and other under leader, Giese, Viper, Camula, Sartorius, and Josie. I also believe that there is another member, but I don't know who it could be," he said. I just nodded again.

"That's better knowledge than we already had. You guys don't know how thankful I am to have this information," I said. They just looked at me.

"We had better get back to the Game Shop to make plans. Kaiba is getting irritated with you friend Blair," Atem said. I turned to see him looking at his cell phone. Kaiba had apparently texted him. I just chuckled and shook my head.

"Sounds just like her. Okay, let's get back. I'd like to check on Alexis and Emmy." Jesse nodded and stood up.

"Same for me, except with Maria and Julie."

"Who's Alexis and Maria?" Akiza asked. Jesse and I looked at her.

"Alexis is my girlfriend," I said.

"And Maria is my daughter," Jesse answered. Akiza looked back at Yusei. He was standing behind her.

"We'll follow you," he said. We nodded and headed outside. I grabbed the keys from Joey. He looked at me.

"I'll drive. We'll get back faster," I said. He frowned but nodded. Jesse climbed in the passenger seat, forcing Joey to sit in the back with Atem. I climbed into the driver's seat and started the car. I idled there waiting for the Signers when four motorbikes suddenly shot out from behind the house. They halted in front of us. One was a white wheel-shaped bike. Another was a black one that looked like a bird. The next one was large with flames and a skull on the front. The last was flame red and seemed to be the most maneuverable of the group. Jack was sitting on the white one, Crow on the bird, Greiger on the skull, and Yusei on the red one. Akiza sat behind him, clutching him tightly. Yusei turned around and came up beside me. He flipped up his helmet and I rolled down my window.

"We'll follow you," he said. I nodded and closed the window. I started driving away, the Signers following close behind me.

_**xXx**_

_Informative chapter. The next one will be full of action!_

_Review and you shall get it! Review people! REVIEW!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	15. Death Race to the Finish Line

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess, she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE!!!! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

"I spy with my little eye," Joey began to say for the thousandth time (not exaggerating either) but Jesse cut him off.

"Gah! Shut the hell up, Joey! If we wanted to play that stupid game we would have been guessing nine hundred and ninety nine 'little eyes' ago!" Joey sank back in his seat and Atem and I just burst out laughing.

"You can relax, Jesse. Maria and Julie are perfectly fine. No need to bite the head off of a _Pyramid_." I stressed Pyramid just to remind who exactly he was. He just shrugged and slouched down in his seat, folding his arms across his chest and looking out the window.

"I'm so bored!" Joey complained. There was a collective sigh in the car. Suddenly, something hit the car. I slammed against the door and straightened the wheel. I quickly looked to my right, where the hit came from.

"What the hell was that?" I demanded. Jesse looked out his window. Just then we were hit again. Joey slid down the back seat and hit Atem.

"It's the Skulls!" he yelled. Atem shoved him off of him. He ended up falling on the floor.

"Really? And I thought it was Jack wanting a race," Atem said sarcastically. Joey grumbled and got back onto the seat. I pressed the gas pedal down to the floor and began speeding down the highway, weaving through cars. I was disappointed when the cops didn't bother trying to catch me. Maybe it was because as soon as I sped up, the Signers and the Skulls sped up as well. We were nailed again. Then I heard something on the roof of the car. A large blade came down from the roof of the car, narrowly missing Joey. He stared at it in shock. I growled and began to unbuckle.

"What are you doing?" Jesse demanded. I looked at him.

"I'm taking this stupid Skull out. Take the wheel." I rolled down window. He nodded and as I began pulling myself out the window by placing my hands on the doorframe and getting out like a NASCAR driver, Jesse placed his foot on the gas and slid out. When he was completely in the seat, I flipped out of the window and onto the roof. I gripped the ski holder on top of it to keep from sliding off, my feet digging into another bar. Standing on the roof, holding the handle the blade to keep from falling off, was a scary looking guy. He had long, straight white hair and pitch black eyes with white pupils.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the leader of the Bloods," he yelled over the rush of the wind.

"Who are you?" I demanded. He just gave me a bone chilling smile. My eyes narrowed. He was either the leader, the under leader, Kalin, or even possibly the member they didn't know about. I got my answer from Yusei.

"Jaden! That's Kalin! Be careful!" He was speeding alongside the car, his helmet flipped up so he could yell at me. I nodded at him and looked back at Kalin. He laughed maniacally and stood up straight. His hair whipped in his face but was surprised me was that he was falling off. I narrowed my eyes and stood up also. My feet stayed secure where they were.

"I'll take you out, Blood Leader and then everyone else will fall after you!"

"Sorry, but I don't go down that easily!" He just laughed again and threw a punch at me. I ducked underneath it and shot my own fist into his gut. He toppled forward on my arm just laughing away. He gripped the back of my shirt and flipped me over his back. I slammed into the car, the glass shattering against my back. I coughed blood and felt glass embed itself in my back.

"JADEN!" Jesse yelled.

"Bye, bye, Jaden," Kalin said, waving his hand and releasing my back. I gasped as I began sliding down the back of the car.

'_Don't you even think about quitting now! Everyone is counting on you! Fight back, Jaden! FIGHT!_' Mark yelled in my head. My teeth snapped together and I grabbed the broken window frame, flipping around so my back was away from the car. Glass cut into my hand but I ignored the pain and braced my feet against the back of the car. Kalin looked down at me confused. I just slowly looked up at him. My face was in perfect alignment with the rearview mirror. Jesse gasped when he saw my reflection and I knew instantly why.

"Weren't his eyes brown?" Joey asked. "Why are they like…honey now?"

"Kick his ass, Jaden!" Jesse yelled. I smirked evilly and used my arm to fling myself onto the roof, lining in perfectly with the rack to keep from falling off. Kalin flipped back as well. He just kept looking at me.

"You're difficult to kill. But I will succeed," he said. I just continued to smirk at him. My hand balled into a fist.

"A lot of talk from someone who's taking the orders instead of giving them," I said, my voice reverberating with a darker tone. Kalin's eyes narrowed and he jumped toward me, aiming to punch me in the face. I dodged his fist as if it was moving in slow motion. My hand shot up and wrapped around his wrist. He blinked slowly as I spun around and slammed his back into the broken glass of the back window. He cried out in pain and continued to as I began to twist his arm.

"Jaden, behind you!" Crow yelled. I glanced back to see another man standing behind me. He had very long white hair that was spiked out in many places. His eyes were dark and he had a pale complexion. He had a knife out and was bringing it down on my back. I reacted quickly and flipped Kalin back up onto the car, freeing one hand so I could grab the approaching knife. I flicked my wrist back and caused the man to hiss as he dropped his knife. It clattered onto the car and then fell off onto the road. Kalin used his hand to hit my elbow and free himself. Both men stood next to each other facing me.

"Who are you?" I asked the new man. He smirked evilly at me.

"The great thief king Bakura," he answered. My eyes narrowed. "I'm the other under leader and the two of us are going to kill you." I just smirked and raised my hands up, palms toward the sky. I flexed my fingers up and down in a 'come closer' motion.

"We'll see if you can even lay one finger on me." Both men bared their teeth at me and launched at me. Kalin was to my right. I leaned toward him, dodging Bakura's foot, and slammed a fist into his gut. This time I felt cracking and he coughed forcefully. I just smirked and flipped him over me using my arm. He slid down the back of the car. Then I spun around and kicked Bakura in the back. He slammed onto the top of the car. I slammed my heel down onto his back. He coughed forcefully. I smirked and kept him pinned as I leaned forward and grabbed both sides of his head. I leaned closer to him so my lips were just inches from his ears. "Seems like those who give the orders are truly the strongest." He glared at me and I was about to snap his neck when a bullet suddenly embedded itself in my arm. I glanced back to see who shot me and that was all Bakura needed.

"I'll see you later, bastard!" he yelled as he stabbed a knife into my knee. I growled loudly in pain and he jumped off the car. I fell forward, clutching my knee, to see him pulling on a helmet while Kalin drove a motorbike. They both glared at me before turning drastically around and disappearing. When they were out of site, I felt all of my adrenaline wash away, leaving me exhausted and in pain all over. I couldn't move. Someone appeared on the roof next to me. Their arms slid under my worn out body and they handed me down to another set of arms. I was laid out on the backseat of the car. I cried out in pain as the glass still in my back dug in deeper. Someone flipped me onto my side and held me so I wouldn't fall back.

"How is he?" Jesse asked frantically.

"He's alive, that's good, but he's really beaten up," Atem said. I felt hands moving over my back and down my injured leg. They grabbed the knife in my knee and pulled it out. Pain rippled through me. I roared in pain and tired to disappear into the car seats. A hand was placed calmly on my head.

"Relax, Jaden. I need to cut off your shirt so I can get the glass out." I was gasping in pain but managed to nod. "Joey, hand me that vodka in your jacket and don't complain." I couldn't hear a response. I felt Atem begin to cut off my jacket and shirt, revealing my injured back. Then something wet and burning was washing over it. I cried out and tried not to roll away from it. Then I felt hands over my back pulling out the glass. The glass clattered into some sort of glass bottle. I was breathing deeply as the glass continued to be pulled from my back.

"Here, Atem," Joey said. Atem didn't reply but I felt his hands disappear. Then there was something being wrapped around my injured knee. My pant leg, slightly above and completely below my knee were cut off by the knife. The bandage being wrapped around my knee felt like my Slifer blazer, meaning Joey probably shredded it. If I wasn't in so much pain, I'd be upset.

"We're here, did you get it all out?" Jesse asked as he stopped the car. Atem ran his hand over my back. I felt nothing in it, so I sighed in relief.

"Yes, I got it all. Joey, hand me the rest of the jacket. Jesse, hold him up," Atem ordered. I heard doors opening, closing, and opening again. Hands placed themselves on my arm and shoved me up, holding me so I wouldn't fall again. Then my jacket was being tied around my back, the sleeves around and under my arms. "We have a med kit inside, so this is only temporary, Jaden." I nodded and groaned as I opened my eyes to look at him.

"Thanks," I croaked. He just smiled softly and nodded. Jesse pulled my arm over his shoulder.

"Come on, let's get you inside," he said. I nodded and allowed him to pull me out of the car. The Signers parked all around us. Yusei rushed over to me, taking my other arm across his shoulders.

"Jaden, are you okay?" he asked. I nodded.

"I'll survive."

"I can't believe you fought Kalin like that." I shrugged.

"Who was the other guy?" Jack asked. I shook my head.

"Not now, Jack. I can't think straight." I was in so much pain. He looked at me and then nodded. Joey opened the door to the shop and let us go in first. Kaiba was standing there waiting for us. When he saw us his eyes bugged out slightly.

"What the hell happened to you?" I just smiled at him.

"It was a death race to the finish line, and we won."

_**xXx**_

_ACTION! Everyone loves a little action, am I right? :D_

_Okay, a few quick notes. _

_1: Bakura isn't the nice, good Bakura, but the evil one. It would be pretty weird if he called himself Yami Bakura because Yami is what Atem called himself pretty much the entire series, so he's just Bakura._

_2: Obviously, you guys would remember that when Jaden battled Andrew and Imayoh in _War Between Gangs_ he turned into Supreme King Jaden (wanted to say Judai there! XD). That is exactly what happened here._

_So, that's it. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Now review! _

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	16. Comfort with Serenity

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess, she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE!!!! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

I hissed as Julie patted a cloth of alcohol on my back.

"You look like shit," she murmured. I sighed and ran my hand on the back of neck, cracking it.

"Feel like it, too." She chuckled and began pressing bandages to my back. Kaiba snapped his book shut at the spine, looking at me.

"So you fought Kalin _and _Bakura _and _survived?" I glared at him.

"Don't sound so surprised." Syrus looked at him.

"Jay's a good fighter." Kaiba looked back at him.

"You have to be more than just a good fighter to beat Bakura; you have to be a monster." I flinched and lowered my gaze to the floor. Suddenly, there was a loud _thunk_. I whipped my head up to see Kaiba on the floor, shoved out of his chair by Jim.

"Watch it, Mate. I could care less that you're a Pyramid. No one talks to my buddies like that without facing my consequences." He sounded very menacing. Kaiba pulled himself into his seat without casting a glare at Jim.

"Its fine, Jim. Just sit down," I said. He glared at Kaiba a moment longer before sitting down next to Jesse. Julie ran her hands down my back and hopped off the couch.

"That should do it. Just be careful, Jaden." I smiled at her and shrugged into the jacket Jesse had gotten me.

"Thanks, Jewels." She smiled softly and sat down next to Jesse. Yusei looked at me.

"Did they tell you anything?" I pursed my lips and shook my head.

"They only told me that I was dead." I looked at him. "I think they should get their facts straight; I'm pretty sure I'm still alive." He chuckled and nodded.

"We know who they are, except for one…maybe two. How do we fight them?" Emmy asked. I folded my hands underneath my chin.

"We may know them but we don't know how to find them." Atem looked at me.

"We have to let them find us." I nodded slowly.

"That doesn't sound like a very good plan," Hassleberry said. I shook my head and leaned back against the couch.

"It isn't but it really is all we can do." Alexis laid her hand on my thigh, squeezing it softly. I didn't look at her.

"All they want is revenge, right?" Jack asked. Jesse scratched his hand through his hair and nodded.

"Yeah. My best guess would be that this unknown leader is the one Skull that survived. Bent on getting revenge, he went out of his way to enlist people who held vendettas of their own against us." Tony looked away from the window and looked at him.

"Why would you guys let someone survive?" He sounded a little ticked. I glared at him heatedly. He was seriously ticking me off.

"We didn't want anyone to, but if someone slipped away under the radar, we kind of had to let them survive sense we couldn't _find them!_" Alexis placed her hand on my arm now, trying to keep me calm. Tony just glared at me.

"How many do you think could have survived?" Akiza asked.

"What do you mean?" Yusei asked. She looked at him.

"Well, if one got away, how sure can we be that more didn't?" There was a collective cuss from the Bloods in the room. Joey placed his hand on my shoulder.

"You guys did your best. Hell, if you guys didn't step in, things could have gotten ugly." I shrugged off his hand and stood up. Alexis made a move to follow but I held my hand up. She stayed where she was. Everyone watched as I walked out of the room and into the kitchen. It was empty. Good, I didn't want anyone to watch me…to see me. I slumped down the wall next to the door that I came through.

Our best wasn't good enough. They still survived and now people were dying around me. I clutched my heart and dropped my head, letting my bangs shield my eyes. Who would die next? Would it be a Signer? A Pyramid? My friends? Jess? Alexis? Who would they kill next just to get to me?

'**You're the prime target, Jaden. When we were still with the Skulls, they talked of you frequently. You were the drive that brought the Skulls back.**'

Jack had said that. I'm the reason the Skulls are back, the reason they're killing people I love, people I care for. My hands clutched my hair, holding my head tightly.

"I can't do this," I whispered.

"Of course you can," a voice said. My head snapped up. Kneeling in front of me was a beautiful woman. She had long brown hair and pale brown eyes. They almost looked as if they had no color. She was wearing tight blue jeans that flared at the bottom and a pink fitted shirt. Her arms were folded across her knees.

"Who are you?" She smiled at me and extended her hand to me.

"Serenity Adams." I blinked once, taking her hand and shaking it.

"Serenity Adams? As in, Atem Adams?" She giggled and nodded, flashing her left hand. She fluttered her fingers, a diamond ring on her ring one.

"Exactly that. Atem is my husband of two years." Serenity sat down completely, crossing her legs.

"Why are you here?" She waved a black bag in my face.

"Atem called me and asked me to bring some clothes for a friend. I assume it's you, considering you're covered in blood." She looked me up and down. I looked away from her.

"I got in a fight with some Skulls, it's no big deal."

"Of course it isn't. Leader of Bloods wouldn't think it's a big deal." I looked at her quickly. She smiled softly. "Atem told me everything." I sighed and leaned back a bit.

"Not many secrets, eh?" She shook her head.

"None with me. He's my husband, not to mention that my big brother is his second in command." I looked at her in shock.

"Joey Wheeler?" She giggled and nodded.

"The one and only." I shook my head slowly. She placed her hand on my knee, squeezing it slightly. "I heard what you were saying. You can do it, Jaden. You've got some of the best people behind you." I shook my head slowly.

"It's not who's backing me up, it's who I have to stand in front of."

"Your friends and family. They're safest here…with you." I ran my fingers through my hair.

"I know that, but I'm not Superman. I'm not bullet proof."

"You don't need to be to survive being shot. I'm sure you know that." I sighed again.

"I know that. I've been shot plenty of times. But there are only so many times before the Grim Reaper comes a knocking."

"Very dark, but would you want your friends and family away from you where you couldn't protect them?" I looked down at my hand, clenching it and unclenching it. Finally, I shook my head and looked at her.

"No." She smiled and patted my knee, standing up.

"That's why you can do it. Mark left you in charge because he knew that if the Bloods would ever need you again, you could handle it." I smiled at her and stood up myself.

"You're right. Thanks." She smiled at me.

"Anytime." I raised my eyebrow at her.

"You've done this before." It wasn't a question. She nodded.

"Plenty of times. Glad to know I haven't lost my touch." She winked at me and I couldn't help but laugh. It felt pretty good. "You're a good kid, Jaden. Whatever you do, it's always going to be the right decision." I smiled again.

"Thank you." I meant it. She nodded and handed me the bag she was waving around.

"Go change. I'm sure you guys need to come up with a plan." I nodded and disappeared into the bathroom, changing. I threw my other ones away and washed my face. My hands braced against the counter as I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were darker, bags underneath them. Dark shadows filled them. I looked like I'd aged a few years.

'**Whatever you do, it's always going to be the right decision.**'

I smiled and ran my fingers through my hair, spiking it up in certain places. I was in charge here, Mark made sure he had the best man on the job. I wasn't going to let him down. Or anyone else for that matter.

"Get ready, Skulls. I'm coming for you and this time none of you will survive."

_**xXx**_

…_I have no idea what this chapter is. It took on a life of its own. XD Maybe it's a filler. As I read it, I think it's more incite on Jaden's fears._

…

_I LIKE IT! XDXDXD_

_Review!!!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	17. Death to Make a Pair

_Merry, merry Christmas! Here's your part one gift! Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess; she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

"Glad to see you're back," Marik said as I walked back into the room. Everyone gave me a once over, realizing I was in different clothes.

"Where'd you get the duds?" Tristan asked. I opened my mouth to answer but someone spoke up before I could.

"I brought them for him." The Pyramids, minus Atem, gasped as Serenity stepped out from behind me.

"Serenity! What are you doing here?" Joey demanded. Atem stood up and walked over to her.

"I called her and asked her to bring Jaden some new clothes." Joey's mouth opened and closed like a fish. Serenity rolled her eyes at his expression.

"Relax, Joey. It's not like I intend to go out and fight. I'm just doing a favor for my husband." Said man smiled at her and took her hands, kissing them.

"And he thanks you." She smiled at him and wound her arms around his neck.

"I can think of some other ways you can thank me." Atem chuckled and brushed his lips across hers. I smiled at them before sitting down next to Alexis. She grabbed my hand and laced our fingers together.

"Maybe you should go home now, Serenity," Tristan said. She glared at him, her head on Atem's shoulder. She took a step back and folded the backs of her hands on her hips.

"Leave? Not a chance. You guys will need my help." Atem touched her hand lightly.

"We may, we may not. I'd prefer not to have to worry about you and everyone else who is a target." She frowned at him. They stared at each other for a moment before he sighed. "Just stay close." She smiled triumphantly and grabbed his hand, locking their fingers. Tristan made a whipping sound, only to be smacked by Joey so hard he fell to the ground.

"Jaden," Jesse called. I looked at him.

"What's up?" He moved closer to me, Julie and Jim following him. Emmy sat down on my free side.

"I've been thinking, about Giese, and I might have a way we can find him and the rest of the Skulls." My eyes grew wide.

"How?" This was news!

"Giese taught me how to hunt, how to track. I might be able to track them back to the base where they all are." I smiled widely.

"That's great! We could get the jump on them." He nodded slowly.

"But there's one problem," Julie said. I groaned.

"Of course, there's always one problem." Jesse looked at me.

"I need to see another…attack. To see another Skull. After that, I could give it a shot." My hopes fell, my body sagging.

"They come to kill, Jesse. Not to give us a chance to track them." He nodded.

"The dilemma exactly." I groaned. Alexis looked at me.

"Even if it isn't something we want to force, the plan in itself is good." I nodded.

"Yes, it is. If something like that happens, you act, Jesse." He nodded.

"What are you guys muttering over there?" Marik called. We all looked back the room. Everyone was watching us. Bastion raised an eyebrow.

"By the looks on your faces, you guys have a plan." The Pyramids and Signers looked amongst each other.

"Call it Plan B," I said. Atticus looked at me.

"What is this Plan B?"

"If the Skulls attack again, I could try to track them back to their base." Tony whipped around to stare at him.

"Could you really do that?" He sounded very shocked. Jesse shrugged.

"I might be able to." Tony's eyes narrowed and he looked back out the window.

"Plan B or not, a plan is a plan," Yusei said. "It's better than diving in head first without any idea." I nodded.

"I know." Blair looked between us.

"But what are you guys going to do until they strike again?" I shrugged.

"I might be able to help with that," Serenity said. I looked at her. She was sitting in Atem's lap, smiling at me.

"How?" She pulled out her phone.

"Yugi and his wife, Rebecca, have a few tricks up their sleeves." I looked at her confused.

"What kind of tricks?" Atem touched her phone.

"Tricks that could find the Skulls if we have enough information on them." My hopes rose.

"Do we have enough?" They looked at each other and shrugged. Serenity dialed a number.

"We'll find out."

"Put it on speaker!" Joey called. She rolled her eyes but pressed the button. We all heard the ringing. It rang once, twice, a third time. Suddenly, a different phone rang off in the kitchen. Julie looked up.

"That's mine." She made a move to get up but Emmy stopped her.

"You stay. I'll get it." She nodded as Emmy disappeared.

'_Hello?_' Yugi Mutuo's voice called.

"Hey, Yugi. You ready for the info?" Serenity asked.

'_Hey, Serenity. Yeah, we're all set over her. Give us what you got._' Atem looked at her.

"You were prepared." She smiled at him.

"I always am." He chuckled again and looked at the phone.

"What kind of information do you want first?" There was silence.

'_The members. Name and describe them._' Atem gave me a look, telling me to start.

"Okay, there's Camula. She's a vamp-" I didn't get to finish. Glass shattering and a gunshot silenced me. Everyone froze.

'_Are you guys okay?_' Yugi asked, frantic.

"Yes, that came from the kitchen," Atem answered. Julie and I gasped, looking at each other.

"EMMY!" Without hesitation, we both lunged off the couch and ran to the kitchen. Julie was in front of me. She rounded the corner and hit the linoleum wrong, sliding down on her back and hitting Emmy. I stopped running and moved slowly into the kitchen. Everyone followed me, gasping at the site.

Julie was pushing herself up, blood clinging to her and her clothes. Emmy lay next to her, a bullet wound on either side of her neck. She'd bled out. Julie had slipped on it and was now covered in it.

"No…Emmy," she whispered. I fell to my knees, not feeling anything. Alexis kneeled next to me, her hands on my back.

"Not her, too," I said quietly. Alexis looked heartbroken. She placed her head in the crook of my neck, her arms still around my neck. She was trying to comfort me but I think I was beyond that.

"Look!" Syrus screamed. I whipped my head up to see someone standing in view of the shattered window, most likely from where the shot come from.

It was Camula.

"Camula!" I yelled. She smiled at me, blowing a kiss in my direction before taking off. Julie, seeing her and realizing she was the one who killed Emmy, jumped up from the floor and ran out the door.

"Julie, no!" Jesse yelled, chasing after her.

"Jesse!" Jim yelled. Jack and Crow grabbed him before he could chase after him.

"Dude, you have to stay here. You all can't run after her," Crow said. Jim looked ready to pull free.

"Listen to him, Jim. Leave Camula to Julie and Jesse," I said. He looked at me. I stood up slowly and walked over to Emmy, Alexis following me. She was holding onto my hand tightly. I kneeled in Emmy's blood, closing her eyes with my fingers.

'_Hello? Emmy? Julie? What's going on?_' Nathan demanded. I looked up to see Julie's phone lying in the blood. I grabbed it and held it to my ear.

"Nathan, Emmy's dead." He gasped.

'_What about everyone else?_' I looked around.

"Fine. We'll be fine."

'_Good to know. Where are you kids? I want to help._'

"The Kame Game Shop in Domino City."

'_I'll be there as soon as I can._' He hung up without a word. I slowly closed Julie's phone, setting it on the counter.

"Jaden?" Alexis called. I pulled my hand from hers and looked at Jim.

"Let's clean this up, Jim." He frowned and walked over to me after tugging away from Crow and Jack. He looked down at Emmy.

"This isn't fair." I nodded.

"You're right, it isn't." I looked up at him. "But the Skulls never play fair."

_**xXx**_

_EMMY!_

_T_T She's dead! It's so sad! What's going to happen next?_

_You guys need to review! I'm not getting hardly any reviews and if they don't increase then I will no longer update. I'm telling you now; you have three chapters to review. PLEASE DO SO! I'd love to break 200 reviews for a Christmas present! Please help!_

_REVIEW!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	18. Pictured Words

_Here's part two, enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess, she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

_**xXx**_

_**Narrative POV**_

Julie shoved pedestrians out of her way, her eyes locked on those damned green locks that killed her best friend.

"Julie, wait up!" Jesse called to her, but she was beyond hearing. Rage had consumed her and she wasn't going to let Emmy's murderer escape. This bitch was going to die…today.

"Catch me if you can, Julie!" Camula taunted, looking over her shoulder at her. She was smiling, her canines protruding from her upper lip. Julie bared her teeth at her and sped up. Jesse watched this and cussed under his breath, pushing people aside as he tried to keep up with this high speed foot chase.

"Get back here, Camula, you bloody coward!" Julie screamed. Camula laughed and rounded the corner into an alley. Julie followed her without hesitation. Jesse nearly slipped as he tried to turn sharply. His hands slid across the sidewalk as he stopped himself from falling. He rubbed them against his jeans, blood smearing, and took off after the pair before him.

"I'm bloody? Sweetie, have you looked in a mirror lately? You look like you just murdered someone," Camula said. Julie slowed down to a walk, looking all around her. Camula had disappeared into thin air; the alley before them leading to a different part of Domino City.

"I plan on murdering someone…you!" She kneeled down, pulling her pant leg up and grabbing the knife she kept strapped to her leg.

"You'll have to find me first."

Julie continued to walk slowly, the blade of the knife touching her wrist lightly. Her eyes scanned every inch of the ally. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her arm. She whirled around, knife out. Another hand clamped onto her wrist, stopping the knife from finding a home in the throat of the person before her.

"Why didn't you stop and wait for me?" Jesse demanded, panting for breathe. Julie lowered her arm and he let her. "I told you I can track them."

Her eyes narrowed at him. "You said you _might _be able to track them! Emmy is too good a friend to leave up to a simple 'might'!"

Jesse placed his hands on her shoulders. "She wasn't just your friend, Julie."

She shook off his hands. "You don't understand." She turned her back on him, only to be grabbed by the wrist and tugged against his chest. She gasped as his eyes narrowed dangerously at her.

"Don't say that. I understand, I understand more than you would think! You want revenge and so do I but running off and almost getting yourself killed isn't going to do any good!" he growled. Her face lowered to the ground. Jesse framed it with his hands, forcing her to look him in the eye. "We'll get her, Julie. Let me help."

She nodded slowly. "All right. Track her."

He smiled softly and kissed her quickly. He pushed her behind him, grabbing her hand that wasn't holding a weapon. Julie allowed him to lead her. Jesse walked over to the fire escape to his left, raising his hand a pulling something from a small crack in the frame. It was a few strands of green hair. Julie gapped at it. "How did you see that?" Jesse looked at her. His eyes, normally bright green, were now a deep, dark orange. Julie gasped but didn't pull away. Instead, she touched his eyes softly. "What-?"

"You could call it just like Jaden, except I know what I'm doing." His voice had a darker undertone, almost like Jaden's. Jesse touched Julie's hands. "This is the monster Giese created."

Julie frowned and shook her head. "You're not a monster."

He smiled sadly at her, turning away. "We'll look up the definition of monster when we get back. Now we've got a vampire to slay."

Julie nodded. Jesse placed the hair just below his nose, inhaling the scent slightly. His eyes were closed. Once he had her scent, he dropped the hair and began running in the direction it went. "Hurry, its growing fainter."

Julie ran with him, still hanging onto his hand. "What is?"

"Her scent."

Though confused, Julie just nodded. Jesse and she ran a few blocks before they came to an apartment building. Her hand tightened around his.

"This is their apartment building," she whispered. He nodded and walked inside. Camula's scent leading him to the third floor, the fifth door from the stairs. Julie was breathing loudly. "Their apartment."

Jesse dropped her hand and pulled a gun from the back of his pants. He held up his hand, signaling for her to stay behind him. She nodded and looked a little panicked. He kicked the door open, watching it slam against the wall. He walked in slowly, but he knew without entering that Camula wasn't there. Julie followed slowly, dropping her knife to the floor.

The apartment had been trashed. Everything was overturned, completely ruined. Pictures littered the floor, covered in glass. Jesse lowered his gun, watching Julie as she walked over to a picture that sat undisturbed on the table. It was of Chris and Emmy. They were holding each other, smiling, not a care in the world. Jesse walked over to Julie, seeing a tear run down her cheek and onto the floor. He saw something written on the glass.

'_**Keep this picture; we have their lives.**_' There was a skull and crossbones drawn in the corner, almost like a signature.

"I want them dead, Jesse. I'm going to kill them myself," Julie whispered. Jesse looked at her. She was still staring at the picture.

"Julie-" He cut short, his eyes locked on the figure that stood in the kitchen. They wore all black, eyes lifeless. In their hands was a lit match. Jesse sniffed slightly. He'd been so focused on hunting for Camula he failed to smell the gasoline that now assaulted him. He grabbed Julie's arm and began pulling her toward the open window that lead to the fire escape.

"What is it?" she demanded. Jesse just scooped her up into his arms and jumped out of the window, running down the fire escape. Just as he reached the floor below the apartment, it exploded. Glass clattered to the ground. He dropped down to his knees, shielding Julie's body with his own. Smoke began filing from the apartment, floating up to the sky. She pulled back and looked up. "Why?"

"It was a trap. Camula was hoping to kill us." He stroked her cheek. She looked at him, thankful to see that his eyes had returned to normal.

"It could have been me that she killed." Tears began leaking out of her eyes. "They killed Emmy but it could have been me!"

Jesse pulled her against him as she buried her face in her hands. She sobbed against him. He rocked her softly, whispering soothing words in her ear. Emmy and Chris' picture laid next to them, the words on the glass smudged slightly. Still, they were forever stuck to his memory.

'_**We have their lives.**_'

Jesse could almost read between those words, causing him to tighten his grip on Julie.

'_**Soon we'll have yours.**_'

_**xXx**_

_GAH! So sad! So depressing! Very…I dunno. XD_

_Review and see what happens next!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	19. Relocation

_Here's the final part, enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess, she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE!!!! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

I stood in the middle of the kitchen, looking around. The smell of bleach permeated around me, stinging my nose. Everyone was murmuring quietly in the other room, still shaken from what happened. I felt eyes on me, knowing without looking who it was.

"They're not back yet," I said, stating a fact that was meant to be a question. Arms wrapped around me loosely, a head resting between my shoulder blades.

"No, they're not," Alexis said. I just nodded and continued to stare at the shattered window. Her arms tightened around me. "Are you okay?" I sighed and placed my hand over both of hers, squeezing them.

"No, but I have other things I need to worry about." She stretched up on her tiptoes, pressing her lips to the side of my neck.

"Everything will be okay, Jaden. You'll stop them." I nodded.

"I know I'll stop them, I know that. But what I don't know is how many other people will die before I finally do." We stayed quiet a moment before she forced me to turn, framing my face with her hands. She looked worried, staring intently into my eyes. I kept my face blank, just staring at her.

"You'll stop them and that's all that matters." I sighed and placed my hands over hers, holding them to my face.

"They'll kill others, Alexis, long before I get close to stopping them." I looked into her eyes. "I'm just worried as to who they will be." She frowned and leaned up, pressing her lips to mine. She pulled back after a moment, staring at me intently.

"I can't tell you they won't kill and I can't tell you who they will if they do. But I will tell you this: you can't worry about the lives; you have to worry about the enemy. If you don't figure out a way to stop them, more people will die." I frowned and pulled her hands back, turning away from her.

"It's not that simple." She sighed but kept quiet. There wasn't anything she could say to me that would change my mind; I'm just stubborn like that.

"Jaden," she began but before she could say anything more, the front door slammed open.

"Where is she?" Nathan demanded. I turned around and ran out of the room, seeing Kaiba and Jack pointing guns at him. He stared down each barrel unwavering.

"Stand down!" I yelled, rushing over and hitting each gun out of their hands. They spun up in the air and I caught them, holding onto each barrel. "He's Nathan Carter! Julie's father!" They looked at me and then him.

"Kaiba," Atem said.

"Jack," Yusei warned. Both of them scowled and grabbed their guns, placing them back in their coats.

"Where is Julie, Jaden?" Nathan demanded. I looked at him, lowering my hands to my sides.

"She's out with Jesse chasing Camilla." He looked at me confused.

"Who's Camilla?" I touched his arm, guiding him to the living room.

"She's the Skull who killed Emmy." He gasped and looked at me wide eyed.

"She's really dead?" I lowered my eyes and nodded.

"Yeah, they got her too." He fell into a chair, shaking his head slowly.

"I can't believe it." I frowned and sat down on the edge of the table.

"I don't want to be appear rude, Nathan, but I need to know what you've learned." He looked at me, nodding.

"Of course." He reached into his coat and handed me some paper. I took them and unfolded them. Without missing a beat, Atem, and Yusei were around me, looking at the paper. It appeared to be a lot of information, mainly rumors, as to the mysterious leader of the Skulls.

"How did you gather all of this information?" Atem gasped. Yusei snatched the paper from my hand, staring at it intently. Nathan simply shrugged.

"I have a lot of friends thanks to my time as Ethan Cartage." Every head aside from my friends whipped to look at him in shock.

"_You're _Ethan Cartage?" Joey said, completely shocked. Tristan and Marik looked at each other, as if they didn't buy it for one minute. Nathan sighed.

"No, I _was _Ethan Cartage. Now I'm Nathan Carter." Yusei lowered the paper, looking at him. His cobalt eyes were cool and serious.

"This information, just how reliable is it?"

"My friends are reliable, but what they say may not because everything there is rumors they themselves have heard. The information is meant to give you a better understanding of who the leader may be." Nathan looked at him, eyes curious. "Does it seem too farfetched?" Yusei shook his head, placing his chin in his hands as he looked at the paper again.

"No, it doesn't, but there are still a lot of people who fit this bill." Nathan sighed.

"I'm sorry, I tried to help." I smiled softly and placed my hand on his knee.

"Thank you, Nathan. I know you tried your hardest." He sighed and leaned back.

"Yes, but still not enough." I wanted to argue, but knew it would do no good, so I simply shook my head and stood up, walking over to my friends standing out in the walkway. Jim was leaning against the wall, arms across his chest. He looked worried.

"They're still not back." I frowned and looked at the door.

"Maybe they caught her," Syrus said, trying to sound hopeful. My frown only intensified, mirrored by Alexis.

"Camilla wouldn't be caught so easily," she said. My eyes narrowed slowly as her words sank in. I got a pretty good look at Camilla the last time we met and Alexis is right; she wouldn't be caught easily. She also wouldn't be seen. Then why…

I froze, breath hitching, eyes widening, realizing instantly what it meant, what was going on.

"It's a trap!" I snapped. Jim gasped and I was quickly surrounded by everyone else. Nathan lightly touched my arm.

"Julie and Jesse?" I spun around and started running toward the door, Jim on my heels. I was just about to open it when the Jesse opened it, carrying Julie in his arms. He looked up at me, slightly ragged looking and completely worn out. We all breathed a sigh of relief.

"What happened to Julie?" Blair asked. Jesse shifted his arms, looking down at her. She had her head resting on his shoulder, asleep.

"It was a trap; Camilla led us to Chris and Emmy's old apartment. It was covered in gasoline. One of the Skulls was there and blew the place sky high." Greiger huffed.

"How could you walk into a room with the smell of gasoline strong?" Jesse glared at him, arms tightening around the sleeping woman in his arms.

"We weren't paying attention, all right?" Yusei held up his hands.

"Okay, calm down both of you." He looked at Greiger. "Don't make him mad, Greiger. Adrenaline does funny things to our minds and senses. You of all people should know that." He simply narrowed his eyes at his leader before relenting with a sigh.

"Here, Jesse, why don't you lay her down over here," Grandpa said, guiding Jesse by the arm to the couch. He laid Julie down and walked over to me, grabbing my arm. I looked up at him.

"I need to talk to you," he said, keeping his voice low so only I could hear it. I looked up to see Everyone around Julie or talking quietly to themselves. I nodded and the two of us walked outside, closing the door quietly behind us. I looked up at him, seeing that he was looking around.

"What is it?" He looked at me, eyes more serious than I've ever seen.

"The Skull that was waiting for us was one I recognized." My eyes widened.

"Who?" He frowned and grabbed my arm, pulling me toward him. I became confused as he placed his lips to my ear and whispered the name. My eyes grew wider than ever before, heart pounding painfully in my chest. Jesse pulled back and stared at my panicked expression with a calm one.

"Are you sure?" I sounded breathless. He nodded. I closed my eyes and threaded my fingers through my hair, shaking my head back and forth. "Great, fucking great." I looked up at him. "We're royally screwed."

_**xXx**_

"Are you guys okay?" Hassleberry asked when Jesse and I walked back in. I nodded, having finally composed myself. Jesse and I decided to keep the identity of the Skull secret; no need to cause widespread panic.

"Uh oh, I think someone wants her daddy," Akiza said, coming down the stairs. Jesse turned as she walked over to him. Maria already had her arms out, tears streaming down her chubby cheeks as she cried for her dad. He shushed her softly as he took her into his arms, cradling her protectively. She sniffed and calmed down nearly instantly.

"I've been wondering something," Bastion said. We looked at him.

"What is it?" Tony demanded. I shot him a warning glare; I'm getting seriously annoyed by his commanding attitude. Bastion simply ignored him and focused on me.

"How did the Skulls know where we are? This is the Pyramid meeting ground, is it not?" He looked at Atem, waiting for confirmation. He nodded, face slowly drawing tighter. Serenity placed her hand on his thigh, trying to keep him calm.

"What are you getting at?" Marik asked. Bastion sighed and scratched his chin, stubble brushing his hand.

"No one should know we're here yet Camilla proved they do." Silence feel, tense and cold.

"We're not safe here," Crow whispered, speaking the words no one else dared.

"Then where are we safe?" Jess asked, looking up at me. I wrapped my arms around her protectively, pulling her against me. Alexis placed her hand in the crook of my arm.

"There's one place we can go," Atem said. His fellow Pyramids all tensed, knowing exactly where he was going. He stood up, taking his wife's hand tightly in his.

"Where is it?" I asked. He shook his head and looked up at me, eyes hard.

"I don't have time to explain. You just have to trust me." I nodded.

"I do." He nodded again and looked around the room. He jerked his head toward Julie.

"Someone grab her; we're leaving now."

_**xXx**_

_Ahh…yeah…teehee!_

_We're getting to the good stuff people, promise! Next chapter may or may not be a sorta filler, but the one after that is action packed! BOOYAH!_

_XD_

_I hope you guys have a very merry holiday season! Please review for this final part! : )_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	20. Not Safe as Long as He Lives

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess, she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE!!!! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

I stared at the house in front of me. Actually, I was staring at a large gate. Atem was punching in some random string of numbers in a pad on the wall near it. When he finished, the gates swung open.

"Is this your house?" Yusei asked, taking in the large mansion before us. Atem shook his head and nudged us inside the grounds. The gate closed behind us, clanging loudly. I snapped my head around, hand brushing my gun. Alexis touched my arm softly.

"Relax, babe. It was just the gate." I nodded slowly, relaxing. She wound her arm through mine and tugged me toward the house. I noticed then that everyone kept walking, that I was the only one who stopped. My cheeks turned a little red as I realized that I was being extremely paranoid.

"If this isn't your house then whose is it?" I asked, looking at the back of Atem's head. By now we were walking up the steps to the front door. It swung open quickly, a familiar face standing in the doorway. I blinked once and looked between Atem and the man. They looked very similar, almost like twins.

"I thought you guys weren't ever going to get here," the man said.

They even sounded the same!

"Do you have everything, Yugi?" Atem asked. Yugi nodded, pushing glasses up higher on his nose.

"Yeah, of course." He stepped out of the doorway, gesturing us inside. The Pyramids walked in without a waver of hesitation, the gang and Nathan, who was carrying Julie, following slowly. I stayed outside with my gang, Alexis, Jess, Tony, and the Signers. Yugi looked at us confused. "Is everything okay?" I smiled softly at him, removing Alexis' hand from the crook of my arm.

"Yes, but I'd like to look around the grounds if you don't mind." Jesse, bouncing Maria in his arms, and Jim both nodded. Yugi smiled sort of sweetly, almost as if he were trying to mentally disarm us.

"There's no need. My house is the safest place for you. The skulls can't get anywhere near us." Jesse's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"How can you be so sure?" Yugi sighed and patted the wall.

"My house has the very best security system, even better than Fort Knox." He looked at us, pleading with those big, purple eyes. "Now please come in." I looked at Jesse, seeing him nod, then at Yusei. There was hesitation in his cobalt eyes but he nodded as well. I took a deep breath and stepped into the house, Alexis grabbing my elbow as she followed me. Everyone else followed me as I walked into the room where the Pyramids and everyone else were.

"What now?" I asked, looking pointedly at Atem. He sighed and scratched his fingers through his tri-colored hair, mixing them; they fell back into place the minute he removed his fingers.

"I honestly don't know. I've been preoccupied figuring out how the Skulls found us last time." He looked at me. "Your friend Bastion was right; the Skulls should not have known where we were." Jesse looked up at him from his place on the couch, Julie's head in his lap and his daughter in his arms.

"Then how did they?" Atem shook his head, eyebrows drawn as he tried to figure it out himself.

"I may have an idea," Yugi said. Everyone looked at him. He stood in the archway, a piece of paper in his hand.

"What is it, Yug?" Joey asked. Yugi didn't answer him, choosing instead to walk over to me and hand the paper over. I took it, looking at him confused. He twirled his index finger around, telling me to flip the paper over. Still confused, I did as he instructed, looking at what was written. Suddenly, I choked on my breath as the reality before him hit me full force.

"Jaden?" Alexis gasped, grabbing my arm as I staggered. Jess appeared on my other side, touching my rigid hand gently.

"Onii-chan?" I shook my head slowly.

"What's wrong with you?" Tony barked. I ignored him, too surprised to come up with a snarky comment for him. Instead, I looked up at Yugi. He kept his expression curiously blank, watching me closely.

"I should have guessed." He just nodded.

"Guessed what?" Syrus asked. I frowned and dropped down onto the couch next to Jesse. I jostled Julie, causing her eyes to blink as she woke up. Maria did the same, whimpering slightly at being woken from her nap. Jesse gave me heated glare, which I ignored.

"Sartorius." The atmosphere changed instantly, becoming tight and tense.

"What about him?" Aster asked voice edgy at the mention of his previous manager. I sighed and looked at him.

"He works for the Skulls now." I shrugged, seeing his jaw drop. "My guess is he didn't like me beating him last year." He just shook his head slowly.

"I thought he had changed." I nodded, remembering the duel last year that caused the fall of White Dorm.

"Yes, I did too, but he didn't." Someone cleared their throat. I looked over to see that it was Kaiba.

"How do you think this Sartorius guy figured out where we were hiding?"

"He's psychic." He blinked then snorted.

"There is no such thing." Joey shot him a dirty look.

"You said the same thing when were their age and looky here!" He gestured around, mainly to Yugi and Atem. Kaiba glared at him, throwing a wadded up newspaper ball at him.

"Watch yourself, Mutt." Joey growled, only to be kicked by Serenity. He pouted at her, rubbing his sore shin.

"Sartorius is, Kaiba. Trust me," I said, drawing attention back to the matter at hand. Crow looked at me confused.

"But last we knew Sartorius' powers were weak because of that duel you guys had." I shrugged.

"Apparently he got better." The Signers looked at each other, expressions slightly worried. Except for Yusei, he kept his calm mask in place. I realized then that he usually kept it like that, calm and collected; he was a natural leader.

He reminded me of Mark.

I lowered my gaze to the carpet, scratching the back of my head as I thought.

"Well, we won't be safe as long as the Skulls have Sartorius," Akiza said. Yusei crossed his legs and placed his chin in his hands, eyes darkening as he thought.

"Then what do we do? We can't very well endanger anyone else." Akiza, who was sitting on the arm of his chair, looked at him.

"I have a plan." He looked at her, shocked, as did everyone else. She scowled, folding her hands on her hips. "Don't look so surprised."

"What is your plan?" Atem asked. She bit her lip kind of timidly, shifting her mood quickly. Yusei, seeing this, narrowed his eyes. Softly, without looking at anyone directly, she touched the small, metal thing in her bangs. The Signers' eyes widened as they understood what she was getting at.

"No," Yusei said, turning away from her. "Her plan won't work. Let's keep brainstorming." She glared at him, eyes blazing. Yet another mood shift. She knocked his shoulder with her hand.

"Don't write my plan off without fully hearing it!" He looked at her, cobalt turning into ice.

"I heard it loud and clear. You are not fighting fire with fire, you'll only get burned." She placed her hand on her heart, looking at him pleadingly.

"I can handle my powers, Yusei." She placed her hand on his, which was a tight fist on his knee. "Trust me." He closed his eyes, nostrils flared, as he tried to calm down by breathing deeply.

"May I cut in here?" Bastion asked. Akiza looked at him; Yusei kept his eyes closed as he fought for control.

"What?" Bastion shifted in his seat, gaze leveling with hers calmly.

"What powers are you talking about?" She made an 'o' shape with her mouth and touched her hair again with her free hand, keeping the other one on Yusei's.

"I have psychic powers, powerful ones. This contraption in my hair keeps them calm and in check."

"Which means in order to fight Sartorius she'd need to take it out, causing them to become 'out of check' so to speak," Yusei said, voice strained with his temper. She huffed and glared at him, ready to argue.

"Yusei, this may be the only way to assure everyone in this room remains safe," Atem said, voice calm, persuading. Yusei, however, wasn't. He turned his head toward him sharply, eyes popping open.

"And what about Akiza? How does she remain safe if she fights him? We don't even know how powerful this Sartorius is. His powers could be stronger than before." He didn't sound like he'd be folding to anyone any time soon. I understood him though. He cared for Akiza, probably even loved her. He's not going to let her risk her life, just like I wouldn't allow Alexis to. Atem's eyes darkened as he understood what Yusei said, realizing he and Serenity were the very same.

There you have it; the three leaders who decide the next move are in a deadlock.

"Let Jaden decide," Jack said, his Australian accent breaking the thick silence. Yusei glared at him. He simply returned it. "He's the leader of the Bloods, the very reason we are not in this mess. Technically we are all his obedient tools." I shook my head.

"I don't want obedient tools, just help from friends." He just snorted, brushing me off like dust. I sighed and looked at Yusei. He was watching me and when our eyes met, he closed his. He saw what I was going to say and he didn't like it.

"If she couldn't handle herself, she wouldn't be a Signer," I reminded him. He just nodded, eyes still closed. Akiza squeezed his hand.

"Everything will be okay, Yusei. I'll make sure this Sartorius guy dies before anyone else here does." He sighed then, opening his eyes slowly.

"So she's going to fight Sartorius?" Chazz asked, looking at Akiza with narrowed eyes. I nodded.

"I'm going with her." Everyone's heads snapped in the direction of the cool voice.

"No, you're not," I said, voice hard. Aster glared at me.

"Jaden, Sartorius isn't just your enemy, he's mine too! I want to deal with him!" I shook my head.

"You don't understand, Aster. Sartorius isn't the same as he was last year; he's probably stronger, in more way than one." He just kept his gaze on mine, stance showing me that he wasn't backing down anytime soon.

"Let him go," Alexis whispered, placing her hand on mine. I looked at her, eyes wide. "This is a demon he wants to battle. Let him. I'm sure he understands the consequences." I frowned and looked back at Aster, knowing as soon as I saw him that she was right. I sighed and reached behind me, grabbing the gun I kept there. I stood up and walked over to him, grabbing his hand and placing it onto the palm, closing his fingers around it.

"Be careful and don't do anything stupid." He looked at me, eyes darkening and hardening as he nodded.

"So, how do we find this Sartorius?" Akiza asked, looking eager. Aster tucked the gun into his belt, looking at her.

"I can find him; no matter what changes about him, one thing will always remain the same." She cocked her head to the side, looking at him.

"What's that?"

"His vanity about his powers. He'll be a tarot card reader at a prestigious shop." She nodded, understanding him.

"Where would that be then?" Aster wavered, seeing the flaw. Yugi appeared then, a laptop in his hands.

"Leave that part to me." Without a word from anyone, he quickly typed some things into his computer, scanning the screen with lightning speed. A minute later, he grabbed piece of paper and pencil, writing something down. "Here, _Madame Destiny's Tarot Shop_ has haired a new reader known as 'White King'." Yugi looked at Aster. "That's the most logical one I've found." Aster nodded.

"That would be Sartorius, no doubt about that." Yugi lifted the paper up just as Aster ran around him; he snatched the paper. "Let's go." Akiza smirked and jumped off the arm of the chair, running after him. Joey stood in the archway, dangling keys from his finger. Akiza grabbed them and they disappeared out the front door, slamming it shut behind them.

"You gave them my car, didn't you?" Kaiba asked, not needing to turn around. Joey just smirked. Kaiba sighed out of annoyance and leaned back against his chair, rubbing his forehead. Yusei walked over to the window, pulling back the curtain to peer outside. I did the same, standing just next to him. Akiza saw us and blew a kiss at Yusei before jumping into the driver's seat of a black Mercedes and driving away. The gate swung open just before they reached it, closing the second they passed.

"They'll be okay," I said, looking at Yusei. His serious mask was back as he nodded.

"Yes." I could tell by his tone that he didn't believe me. That was okay, because I didn't believe me either. With a sigh, he dropped the curtain and walked back to his seat. I gazed out the window a moment longer, wondering what I have just done and if I'm going to regret it later.

I probably will.

_**xXx**_

_Done with the sorta-filler! Yay! XD_

_Okay, action next chapter! Eee! Can't wait! We are FINALLY at the good part people, the part I can't wait to write! Action after action chapter! Get those boxes of tissues stocked up because, trust me, you're going to need them!_

_BUT YOU MUST LISTEN HERE! This story is going to be put on hold unless reviews increase. I'm not kidding, I will not update until I get an increase in my reviews. I'm getting less than 10 reviews per chapter. I wrote this story for __**YOU GUYS! **__I didn't plan on writing this, but I did because you guys asked me to. If you're reading this, review! I'd like to break 200 reviews before I update again but I'm not going to do that. If I get a lot of reviews for this chapter, I will continue updates but then you guys __**HAVE TO KEEP REVIEWING!**__ Reviews are MY fanfiction's life. If it doesn't get enough…it dies. Not really, it just goes into a coma until it gets more._

_So please keep this fanfiction alive…errr…out of comatose and review!!!!! PLEASE!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	21. Psychic Duel

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess, she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: This entire story is mine. The plot especially. The random OCs also belongs to me. Any and all copiers WILL BE reported to the administrators, so don't take anything.**_

_**xXx**_

_**Narrative POV**_

"Do you have the directions?" Akiza asked, looking at Aster.

He nodded and began to fiddle with the built-in GPS unit. "Yes, it looks like we're almost there."

"Good, the sooner this is over, the easier it will be for us to handle everyone else." She punched the gas, sending the car speeding down the vacant streets. "Why would this Sartorius person be working in such a decrepit part of town?"

Aster shook his head. "I don't know. He was very vain about his powers."

She nodded. "I got that from the 'White King' bit, but this part of town just doesn't seem right for someone like him."

"I know what you mean," Aster said. "Maybe he's over here for a good reason."

Akiza looked at him, slowly slowing the car down as a light turned red. "You mean, like he knows that he might want someplace quiet and off the beaten path?"

Aster swallowed, his hand shaking slightly but he clenched it into a fist. "Yes."

"That's what I thought, too," she whispered, speeding back up as the light turned green.

He looked at her, seeing the seriousness in her eyes. She was ready, preparing mentally for the battle she was going to have with Sartorius when they arrived.

'**Be careful and don't do anything stupid.'**

Aster's hand tightened around the gun in his hand. Jaden allowed him to come with Akiza, but he didn't know why. There really wouldn't be anything Aster could do, but here he was, on his way to meet the very bane of existence.

"He allowed you to come with me so you could fight this ghost," Akiza said, as if she could read his mind.

He looked at her, startled.

She smiled at him. "No worries, Aster, I can't read minds. I'm just very good at reading faces." She sighed and turned back to the road. "It was something Yusei taught me." She leaned forward over the steering wheel, stopping the car outside a shop. "We're here."

Aster looked to his right, seeing a very white building with a sign that read, '_Madame Destiny's Tarot Shop'_ on the front. There was a sign in the door that said, '_Sorry, we're closed._'

"They're not closed, are they?" he asked, looking at Akiza.

She shook her head, looking at her reflection in the rearview mirror. Her fingers smoothed over the metal device in her hair; the one that suppressed her powers apparently. She looked a little nervous, but only for one brief moment. "Are you ready?" she asked, looking at Aster.

"No," he said, getting out of the car. "But I won't ever be."

"You're brave," she said, walking out to stand next to him. "But I won't patronize you if you turned around and waited in the car."

He just shook his head and walked over to the door, opening it with ease. A bell chimed but nothing else was said.

"They're waiting for us," Akiza said, walking in ahead of him. When he stepped in behind her, she placed her hand on his chest, looking at him. "You stay behind me at all times. This," she grabbed the front of his jacket, where he placed the gun, "is only for emergencies. Don't pull it out unless you think you're going to need it." She took a step back. "Understood?"

He nodded. "He'll be in the back."

"Okay, let's go." She turned and they walked toward the back of the store, jumping over the counter. Akiza placed her hand on a doorknob, pressing her ear to the door. Aster stood behind her, tense.

"**Enter**," a voice said from the other side.

Aster gasped quickly, holding his breath as he recognized the voice.

Akiza looked at him, mouthing, '_Is that him?_'

He nodded, mouthing back, '_Yes, but he sounds different._'

She looked troubled for a moment before she opened the door and stepped inside. He followed after her, shielding his eyes with his arms for a moment. The room was bright white, blinding him. It was surprisingly large and empty with high ceilings. Facing them, smiling, was Sartorius.

But he looked different.

"Aster, I knew you'd come find me one day," he said, sounding very pleased.

Aster glared at him, keeping quiet. Akiza looked at him and then at Sartorius.

"So you're Sartorius?"

Said-man held out his arms. "Yes, that would be me. And you must be the lovely Akiza, fifth member of the Signers."

She didn't looked startled, even though Aster looked surprised. "You're powers seemed to have returned," she said.

Sartorius smiled sickly at her. "But of course! I'm back and better than ever!"

"You're working for the Skulls?" she asked, reaching her hand up toward her bangs.

Aster, seeing this, took a step away from her.

"No, I'm not working _for them_. I'm working _with them_." Sartorius smiled and began pacing. "You see, dear Akiza, I and my fellow Skulls have one common enemy." He stopped and turned to look at her. "Jaden Yuki and his fellow Bloods."

"See, that's where I get confused. What do all of you have against Jaden and his friends? I mean, some of you just confuse me." She began to play with the tip of her device, causing Aster to move farther away.

"Jaden Yuki destroyed me back at Duelist Academy, same as Camula **(1)**. His friend and second-in-command Jesse Andersen belonged to Giese."

Akiza's eyes narrowed dangerously and she bared her teeth. "You cannot own another human being!" Something about how Sartorius phrased that struck a nerve with Akiza.

And he figured that out.

"Oh, that's right. The leader of the Arcadia Movement, Sayer, once believed he owned you, am I correct?" He was baiting her, and it almost worked.

"Akiza, he's just trying to get you to leap instead of think," Aster warned her quickly, seeing her tensing at the mention of this Sayer person.

She sighed once and nodded. "Right, thanks." She glared at Sartorius. "Stop trying to distract me."

He just shrugged. "Very well." He smirked and looked at her, crouching lower. "Ladies first."

She scowled at him, knowing for a fact that he isn't the gentlemen type. '_What is he planning?_'

"Akiza, look out!" Aster screamed, causing Akiza to look up. Sartorius, taking advantage of her brief moment of hesitation, launched himself into the air.

"Figures," Akiza muttered, tumbling out of the way as Sartorius slammed against the ground. He spun around quickly, using his hands to flip up so he could kick her in the back. She gasped as she flew forward, bouncing against the ground until she slammed into the wall on the far side of the room.

"Akiza!" Aster yelled.

She coughed a little, trying to get breath back into her lungs. She rolled onto her stomach, using her hands to push herself to her feet. Only in the room for three minutes and she'd already made a huge mistake that could have cost her dearly.

"I'd try to watch that pretty back side of yours, Akiza dear," Sartorius said, cracking his neck and bouncing on his feet, looking ready to continue.

Aster stared at him in surprise. Even though he had been as blinded by anyone to Sartorius' true nature, this just wasn't like him. The Skulls had changed him too much. '_He's completely lost his mind!_'

"Thanks for the advice!" Akiza spat, standing up and whipping her mouth with the back of her hand. Her eyes were like amber ice, glaring at Sartorius.

He smiled sickly at her. "Shall we continue?"

Akiza just stared at him another moment before lunging.

Aster gasped and took a step back, fearing that she was going to rip her metal device out. But in fact, she didn't. She appeared in front of Sartorius, spinning her leg up and kicking him across the jaw, sending him flying across the room.

He regained his balance, choosing to tumble with the momentum, landing on the balls of his feet. He smirked and whipped some blood away from his lips with the back of his hand. "Very nice, but you're going to have to better than that if you want to beat me," he said, standing up.

She narrowed her eyes at him and ducked lower, running at him. She jumped toward the ground, hands out first, and used them to bounce up, landing both feet square in the center of his chest. He coughed up blood as he slammed against the wall while she somersaulted to slow down.

"Still not good enough," Sartorius said, smirking and whipping the blood away, spitting more at the ground.

Akiza's eyes narrowed. '_How can he still be saying that? I could have sworn I broke three of his ribs with that last kick. Isn't he in pain?_'

Aster shook his head slowly, trying to figure out exactly what was going on. Sartorius should be in pain, even he can see that, but he's acting as if everything Akiza is doing isn't affecting him. '_What did they do to him?_' he wondered, seeing his old friend with a new horror in his grey eyes.

"Feeble attacks won't win you this battle, Akiza. And there's only so much longer I'm going to let you keep trying," Sartorius said, looking at her.

"We'll see about that," she said, jumping to her feet. She jumped at him again, trying to punch him in the face.

He smirked and caught her fist, surprising her. "I'm afraid the fun must end now," he said, causing her to look up at him with concealed panic in her eyes. He smirked again and placed his hand on her stomach.

Her eyes grew wide as he released her hand and sent her flying without so much as a push. He only used his mind. Her head snapped against the wall, causing her to see black as she slumped against the ground. Blood trailed down her neck and back.

"Akiza!" Aster yelled, trying to get her up. She moaned in pain, but didn't make a move to stand up. He watched in horror as Sartorius walked toward her, stalking steps.

"Time's up, Akiza." He extended his hand, a gloved, white one, and looked ready to finish her off.

Then there was gunfire.

Sartorius blinked in surprise, turning to see Aster behind him, pointing a smoking gun at him. He looked down at himself, seeing blood staining his favorite white shirt. He frowned and looked at Aster. "Aster, that wasn't very nice." He turned to face his old client, only to have him shoot him again. This one went straight through his chest.

"What did they do to you, Sartorius? You should be dead right now," Aster said, gun still pointed at Sartorius, only this time at his head.

Sartorius sighed and looked at him. "They helped me revive my powers that _damned_ Jaden Yuki made me lose!" He ground his teeth together. "I will have my revenge on him for he did to me back at Duel Academy."

"_That's not what I asked!_" Aster yelled, pulling the trigger again. However, the bullet pierced his stomach, now leaving Sartorius standing there with three, bleeding bullet holes. He didn't even flinch though, as if he didn't feel them.

"Then what do you want to know, Aster?"

"I asked what they did to you! I can see for myself that you're powers are back, Sartorius! I want to know what they did so you don't feel any pain! Why aren't you collapsing to the ground due to blood loss!? Damn it, Sartorius! Tell me why!" He was shaking with anger, the end of the gun quivering too much now to be taken as a serious threat.

Sartorius only sighed and wiped absentmindedly at the blood on his shirt. "They did nothing to help me with _that_." He smirked at Aster. "I did it all to myself. I'm not…what I was before. These," he pointed at the wounds on his chest, "cannot kill me. My mind, my powers, makes me invincible!"

"You aren't invincible, Sartorius. No one is," Aster said, voice low, quivering no longer.

Sartorius glared at him. "I am, and now I'll end you like I should have years ago." He flicked his wrist back, sending the gun in Aster's hand flying against the wall. It fired off, the bullet grazing Aster's leg.

He hissed in pain and dropped to his knees, clutching his bleeding leg as he tried to keep calm. "Bastard," he spat, eyes glaring at Sartorius.

"I'm through playing these games, time to die, Aster." He walked over to him, hand extended toward his head. "But, just so you know, those brief years with you will always be the fondest memories for me."

"Liar."

Sartorius shrugged, unruffled. "Believe what you want, but I will always treasure them. Goodbye, Aster."

Aster stared at him, face blank, as he waited for him to finish him off. But he didn't. He wasn't given the chance. Suddenly, Sartorius' eyes began to bleed, as well as his nose and ears. Blood trickled out of his mouth as his eyes turned to resemble glass. He fell to the ground, obviously dead.

"He talks too much," Akiza said.

Aster nodded and looked at her, seeing that her bangs were in her face, the metal device in her hands. "What did you do?" he asked as he stood up, flinching slightly in pain.

"He said his mind is what made him invincible, so I got rid of it." She looked at Aster, seeing the confusion on his face. "When I slumped on the ground, I wasn't really unconscious. I was slowly working with my powers, trying to break through his. You bought me the time I needed, the distraction if you will. I was able to remove my clip and break through all of Sartorius' defenses. I entered his mind and it wasn't able to handle both of our powers and exploded."

As she explained what she did, she walked over to Sartorius' body, nudging it with her foot. He rolled onto his stomach, smearing blood on the ground. She looked up at Aster. "He's dead now."

"Was he always like this?" he asked her, staring down at the lifeless face of his once-closest friend.

"I can't answer that for you, Aster. Only you can." She sighed and ran her fingers through her bangs. "He said that he would treasure those memories of the two of you together." She looked at him. "Will you?"

"I don't know." And he didn't. Those years with Sartorius were, then, some of the best times of his life. Now, with his friends, he was seeing just how evil he really was. Still, he couldn't figure it out.

"You will, someday," she said.

He sighed and nodded, looking up at her. She was looking at him. His brows furrowed in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"I need you to drive back to home base." She said that so, if the other Skulls were watching, they wouldn't know where they were.

"Why?"

"Because I don't have the strength to." Just then, her eyes rolled back slightly and she staggered forward.

"Akiza!" he gasped, jumping forward to catch her. Though his leg stung but he managed to catch her before she hit the ground. She sagged against him, groaning slightly. "Akiza!" She remained slumped against him, eyes closed softly. She breathed softly, assuring Aster that she was fine.

He sighed and reached an arm down and swept under her knees, picking her up to carry her in his arms. He hissed slightly in pain but otherwise ignored it. He looked around the room, seeing Sartorius still on the ground, limp with death. Part of himself died today with Sartorius, a part he wouldn't want back.

"Goodbye, Sartorius." He turned his back on the dead Skull and walked out of the room filled with blood and death.

_**xXx**_

_Done! :)_

_Review please!!!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**

**1: Okay, I think I was up at three in the morning when I wrote that scene with Camula and Julie 'cause I totally f-ed her up! When she comes back, she'll actually LOOK like she's supposed to. And about the whole name thing, my stupid computer automatically changed it on me and I never noticed. Grr… My bad everyone, sorry. **


	22. Circle

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess, she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: This entire story is mine. The plot especially. The random OCs also belongs to me. Any and all copiers WILL BE reported to the administrators, so don't take anything.**_

_**xXx**_

_**Narrative POV**_

Aster drove down the streets back toward Yugi's house, both hands on the wheel with eyes focused on nothing but pavement. In the passenger seat, Akiza moaned lightly in pain, twisting away from him while resting her head on the cool glass. Draped around her was Aster's coat. He even put the suppressant device back in her hair before leaving; anything to keep his mind from wandering back to Sartorius.

'_Why did he say that to me?_' he wondered, remembering how Sartorius said that he would always treasure the memories he had of Aster.

Even as he pointed a gun straight at him, ready to pull the trigger without a hint of hesitation.

Aster's hands tightened around the wheel, turning his knuckles white. He wasn't ready to back and face the onslaught of questions he knew would be asked, seeing as Akiza wasn't in any fit shape to.

"Where are we?" she whispered, rotating her head to look at Aster.

He was startled slightly at the sound of her voice. "Um, we're almost back." He looked at her, seeing the exhaustion in her eyes. Fighting Sartorius, though physically wasn't really that much, must have been very mentally taxing…more than he originally thought. "Should we call to let them know to open the gate for us?"

She shrugged and closed her eyes, relaxing against the door. "Sure, do whatever you want, Phoenix."

He looked at her confused, ready to ask why she called him by his last name, but noticed that she had already drifted back to sleep. '_Weird._' He shook his head and fumbled around for his cell phone, noting that it was more difficult than it should have been. Just when he thought he had it, it slipped from his fingers. Eventually it fell to the floor below his feet. Groaning, he pulled off to the shoulder of the road, put the car in park, and grabbed his phone.

Only then did he notice that his hands were shaking.

He took an unsteady breath and pressed his forehead against the steering wheel, fighting to remain calm. He didn't understand why he was so shaken by the events that just transpired. Maybe he was just overreacting. Or maybe it was because he just witnessed the murder of his oldest friend.

And he didn't really care that he was dead.

Part of him knew he would miss Sartorius, in his own way, but right now was not the time to act like this. He had to get back to the mansion before Jaden and Yusei started freaking out. That's the last thing anyone needed right now.

Finally feeling in control, Aster sat up and placed the car in drive, dialing a familiar number with one hand. Akiza mumbled something in her sleep and sighed herself back to sleep. He sighed and pressed the phone to his ear, hearing it ring only halfway before the other person answered.

"_Aster!_"

"Hey, Jaden. Yeah, it's me."

"_I'm hoping everything turned out…ended in our favor._"

Aster appreciated the way Jaden didn't say "**turned out well**", as if he knew Aster would feel something for the loss of Sartorius. "Yes, Akiza killed Sartorius."

"_Good, glad to hear it. How is she?_"

"Tired, extremely so. She's zonked out right now in the passenger seat."

"Am not," she mumbled, reaching out to push his shoulder, hitting the seat instead. Her arm fell again and she muttered something, falling back asleep.

Jaden laughed, hearing her. "_As long as she's okay. I am curious though, how did she kill him?_"

"Um, well, I sort of didn't understand it myself."

"_Well, great, I'm screwed then if you didn't understand it._"

Aster laughed; glad that Jaden was the one he called. Sometimes he wondered if Jaden said things like that without thinking. "She can explain it once we get back, if she feels up to it."

"I'm up to it," she muttered again.

Aster rolled his eyes. "Quit being stubborn and go back to sleep," he said, poking her arm.

"You're not the boss of me," she snapped, though it didn't sound very threatening in her exhausted voice.

Jaden laughed again. "_We'll let Yusei deal with her when you guys get back. By the way, when is that exactly?_"

"That's why I originally called. We'll be rounding the corner to Yugi's mansion in approximately five seconds."

"_Geez! You're sneaking up on us! All right, I'll tell Yugi to go punch in the code to let you in. Yusei and I will meet you guys in three._" He hung up before Aster could say anything else.

"Hm, very interesting," Aster said, turning off his phone and setting it in the cup holder. He rounded the corner to Yugi's house and saw the gate swinging open.

"They left the door open," Akiza mumbled, eyes barely open.

Aster chuckled. "You're too tired; go to sleep."

She shot him a weak glare, but resigned back against the window with a sigh.

Aster turned into the grounds, hearing the gate shut behind him. The front door opened and Jaden and Yusei walked out, hurrying over to the car just as Aster killed the engine. He got out of the car slowly, trying not to put much weight on his hurt leg.

"Hey, you okay?" Jaden asked, seeing him using the car to help keep weight off his leg.

Aster smiled at him. "Mostly, yeah. Sartorius just knocked the gun out of my hand and it went off, grazing my leg. That's all." He held his leg out, showing the nice burn on his calf.

Jaden's eyes narrowed and darkened. He walked over to Aster, taking his arm and pulling it over his shoulder. "Don't complain, I know it hurts like a bitch."

Aster bit his tongue to keep from talking, hearing the order ringing in Jaden's voice. He may not think he's a good leader, but he's the best Aster's ever seen.

"She's wiped," Yusei said, walking over to them with Akiza in his arms. Her head was resting against his shoulder, face paler than Aster remembers. His coat is still draped around her.

"Looks like it," Jaden said as they headed to the house. Atem stood in the doorway, holding the door open.

"Yugi, get the med kit," he yelled, not looking away from the people approaching.

Joey jumped in the doorway, looking at Aster.

"One down?"

Aster nodded. "One down."

"And only eight to go," Jaden said.

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

"Think of it this way, at least now you got a scar that you can show the ladies and go 'I got shot.' Trust me, the fawn every time," Joey said, winking at Aster. He was then smacked by Tristan and Marik.

"There's always a silver lining to getting shot I suppose," I agreed, looking out the window, seeing the sun falling over the horizon as night was beginning to set.

"Hey, how many times have you been shot, Jaden?" Crow asked suddenly.

I looked at him, confused, before frowning and looking back out the window. "Too many times."

"Why do you want to know?" Jim asked, looking at Crow with a raised eyebrow.

Crow just shrugged. "I was curious."

Jack rolled his eyes. "You're such an idiot, Crow."

"Don't start you two," Yusei said, intervening before they could start fighting again. I noticed that it was something they liked to do a lot. While Aster and Akiza were off fighting Sartorius, they were always fighting. But something tells me that when it comes down to fights, they have each other's backs.

"So, now what?" Julie asked.

I sighed and turned to look at her. She was sitting between Jesse and Alexis, Maria asleep in her arms. "I don't know," I said.

"I think we have some time to plan, now that Sartorius is dead," Yusei said.

I nodded. "I agree, but we don't have a lot."

"I could try and pull some strings with a few old buddies of mine, see if I can dig more information up on these new Skulls," Nathan offered.

Jesse looked at him startled. "What kind of strings?"

He just smiled and stood up, cell phone already being pulled out of his pocket. "Good strings, but the kind that's best if I don't say aloud." He walked out of the room, dialing a number.

"Weird," Tristan said.

Julie shrugged. "Nah, not really. My dad was after all the one who started the Crib gang. It goes without saying that he has some deep connections in the underground community."

"Say what!?" Joey said, jumping up. "Your dad _started _the Crib gang? The same Crib gang that used to be your arch enemy in Ochi City?"

"The one and the same. And before you ask why, I lost my memory at a young age. I didn't even know who my parents were until last year." She shrugged again, bouncing Maria once and standing up. "I'm going to lay her down."

Jesse nodded and squeezed her hand, allowing her to walk away. He rested his elbow on his knee and rubbed his forehead. "Damn it," he muttered, standing up.

"We'll get them, Jesse," I said, knowing why he was standing.

He looked at me, hands balling into fists at his side. He nodded curtly at me before walking out of the room. I sighed and looked back out the window.

"I'm really confused," Syrus said.

"Jesse is just worried about Julie and Maria. Giese is back so he's got him on his mind, as well as the other Skulls. Not to mention that Julie is going to hunt Camula down and kill her." I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "I need some air." I walked out of the house, raising my hand briefly to keep Alexis where she was. She made a face, one that showed she didn't like me leaving alone, but stayed where she was.

I jumped down the steps and walked back behind Yugi's house, toward his backyard; it was elaborately landscaped. I walked over to the Weeping Willow that hung over a koi fish pond. Rocks were set up around the rim of the pond, so I stood there, hands in my pocket as I stared at the fish, watching them swim around in a circle.

I smirked humorlessly to myself. "What goes around comes around, great." I blew out my breath and placed my hand on my forehead, fingers threading through my hair.

Suddenly, there was a cigarette box in front of my face, one out being offered to me. I looked o my left to see that it was Yusei, who already had one between his lips. "Take one," he said.

I frowned; half tempted to push it away, but decided against it. Instead I sighed and took the offered cigarette. "Thanks."

He held up a lighter, igniting the flame for me. "It's no good unless you lit it, Jaden."

"Good point." I placed the tip in the flame, watching as it slowly began to burn.

Yusei covered his own with his hand while he lit the end, flicking the lighter shut as he shoved it back into his pocket. He shoved one hand into his pocket, using his other one to pull his cigarette out of his mouth, blowing the smoke out as he sighed. "You okay?"

I shrugged and blew out the smoke, sighing. Smoking wasn't that hard for me. Sadly, I used to do it all the time before I went to Duel Academy. I haven't had one in years. "Mostly, I suppose. I'm just worried about everyone else."

"Always the gallant one," he mused, a small smirk on his lips.

I nudged him with my elbow, taking a drag on my cigarette. "It's not that."

"I know. I'm just trying to get you to talk." He smiled at me, his cigarette resting between his index and middle finger, hanging at his side.

I shrugged and looked back at the koi fish, which were still swimming in a circle. "There really isn't a lot to talk about."

"Bullshit," Atem said. Yusei and I both turned, seeing him walking over to us. "It's time for an intervention, Jaden."

I frowned and looked between him and Yusei, who was smiling like he knew something I didn't. Suddenly, I felt outnumbered and at a disadvantage. "Intervention?"

"You asked us for our help, which we were more than glad to do, but you're _still _trying to handle everything by yourself," Yusei said, pulling back out his cigarettes. He offered one to Atem, who took it without a word. Yusei handed him his lighter.

"What's wrong with that? This is, after all, my fight," I said.

"Have you always been this damn stubborn or is this a new thing?" Atem asked, lighting his cigarette. He took a breath of it and looked at me, blowing the smoke out at an angle so it didn't get in my face. He had an eyebrow raised at me.

"I don't know what you mean." I looked away from him, stubbornly placing my own cigarette in my mouth and shoving both hands in my pockets.

"There you go again, crawling into your shell," Yusei said, pointing at me with his cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth.

I glared at him.

"Jaden, we're here to help you. You can't take this whole thing on by yourself. No one can handle that kind of stress," Atem said.

"I can," I muttered, lips pressed together.

"Bullshit," he and Yusei said at the same time.

I threw my hands up in the air. "What the hell do you want me to do then? Risk your guys' lives too!?"

"Yes," they said again, looking at me seriously.

I blinked and looked between the two of them, shocked. "Seriously?"

Atem chuckled and took a drag of his cigarette while Yusei just chuckled. "Jaden, if we didn't want you to risk our lives, we would have shown you the door the second you came to ask for help. Everyone here knows the risks that come with this, and they don't give a damn," Yusei said.

Atem nodded, flicking the ash off of the end of his cigarette. "Exactly. Everyone is getting annoyed that you're trying to figure everything out by yourself." He looked at me pointedly. "You and the rest of your Bloods."

"We don't like risking other people's lives by dragging them into our fight," I explained, pulling the cigarette out from between my lips, shaking the ash off the end.

Yusei pointed at me. "See? There you go again with this 'your fight' shit. Jaden, the second we agreed to help you fight these Skulls, it became **our fight**. All of us, as in the Bloods, the Pyramids, and the Signers." He rolled his own cigarette between his thumb and index finger, ash falling off the end.

"He's right, Jaden. You Bloods are trying to figure everything out yourselves when in fact you are the ones who has already suffered the biggest lose," Atem said, placing his cigarette back between his lips. "You've already lost three of your members and another nearly three times. No offence, but you guys are acting really dumb."

I frowned, annoyed that everything they were saying was sinking in. "You guys don't deserve to be killed for our mistake."

Yusei threw his hands up in the air. "What mistake!?"

I jumped a little at his outburst.

"Jaden, you guys didn't make any mistakes. If anyone made any, it would be us," Atem said, pointing at himself, indicating that he was talking about himself and the Pyramids.

"Don't forget us; we may not have been an organized gang at the time, but me and my fellow Signers were pretty much one," Yusei said.

Atem nodded. "Right and the two of us stood by and watched the news, knowing that the Skulls were killing innocent people and we weren't going to do a damn thing." He looked at me. "But you and the Bloods did, not to mention the Cribs. You guys got rid of them, even if it was only for a short amount of time."

"No, you're wrong, Atem," Yusei said. "The Skulls will never reach the level they were before because of what the Bloods and Cribs did."

I shook my head and pulled my cigarette out of my mouth, looking at the red tip. "Quit painting us as heroes."

"You guys are heroes though. You took on the monster Skulls and won, Jaden, all on your own." Yusei clapped me on the shoulder. "This time though you're going to have to share the spotlight."

I looked at him. "You guys are serious? You really are willing to risk your lives over this?"

"Of course," Atem said. He smiled at me. "Jaden, you're not alone this time. You've got us." He indicated between himself and Yusei. "And we'll make sure this time no one survives."

Yusei nodded. "The Skulls are toast."

For the first time in a week, I felt myself actually relax. "I don't know what to say that won't sound like total cheese."

Yusei chuckled and pulled his cigarette out of his mouth, dropping it on the ground and grinding it with the heel of his boot. "Then don't. We know what you mean." He held out his hand, arm up, waiting for me to grab it. "The Signers are in this completely, Jaden. We're behind you and your Bloods one-hundred percent."

"And don't you dare forget the infamous Pyramids," Atem said, dropping his own cigarette on the ground, mimicking Yusei as he put it out. He held his hand, just like Yusei. "My Pyramids and I are with you Bloods no matter what happens."

I smiled and dropped my own cigarette, crushing it with the front of my shoe. "All right," I said, looking up at the two of them. "From here on out, the Bloods, the Pyramids, and the Signers are working together as one."

They smiled and nodded. I smiled in return and took Yusei's hand. Atem covered our hands with his and we just looked at each other. For the first time in a long time, I actually felt like things would turn out better than they began.

Behind me, the koi fish separated and began swimming around, no longer in a circle. I took that as a good sign.

_**xXx**_

_I really like this chapter! I love the triple-leader pow-wow!_

_Please, please, PLEASE review!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	23. Their First Death

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess; she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: This entire story is mine. The plot especially. The random OCs also belongs to me. Any and all copiers WILL BE reported to the administrators, so don't take anything.**_

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

"Okay, so what are we doing now?" Joey asked when Yusei, Atem, and I walked back into the house.

Atem shrugged, stopping in the archway and folding his arms across his chest. "Not a clue."

Joey frowned. "I was afraid you'd say that."

Serenity elbowed her brother.

"Has Nathan figured anything out?" I asked, looking at Jim.

He shrugged. "Not that I know, Mate. Sorry."

I frowned but shook my head. "Not your fault, Jim."

"Can I just say one thing?" he asked, looking at me.

Confused, I gestured to him with my hand. "Sure. What's on your mind?"

"You said that Julie is going to kill Camula right?"

"Without a doubt, why?"

"Well, if Julie can claim Camula than Viper is all mine." His eyes hardened, looking quiet deadly. "That bastard is going to die by _my _hand."

I just nodded, knowing that I wasn't going to be able to talk him out of his crazy revenge scheme. Even though the entire Blood-Crib war escalated because of revenge, it seemed to be the catalyst for everyone around me lately.

"Giese is mine," Jesse said, walking into the room.

I looked at him, a little shocked. "Are you sure?" I questioned.

He nodded, face pale but serious. "I'm sick of looking over my shoulder, trying to see if he's tracking me. I'm going to end it, one way or another."

I did _not _like the way he said that, but I wasn't going to bother trying to talk him out of it. "All right," I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. "Does anyone else want to claim a Skull before they're all gone?"

Everyone chuckled but didn't say anything.

"Do you have anyone in mind, Jaden?" Hassleberry asked.

I looked at him, seeing that he and the rest of the gang were sitting on a couch by themselves. Alexis was sitting on the very end, watching me, with Jess leaning against her sleepily. "Yeah," I said softly, looking away from her.

"Who?" Chazz asked.

I clenched my hands into fists and looked right at Atem and Yusei. "The leader of the Skulls is mine."

Yusei looked at me startled. "Jaden, he's going to be the strongest of them all!"

I nodded. "I know."

Atem frowned. "And that's exactly why you want to be the one to fight him."

"Partly, but he started this whole damn thing because of me. I'm taking him out by myself."

"That sounds a little too risky, Jaden," Crow said.

Jack nodded in agreement. "We weren't even allowed to meet this leader when we were a member of the Skulls, so we don't know anything about him."

"I don't give a damn! This guy gathered up all of these Skulls and is killing everyone around me to get to me! I'll be damned if I let anyone else take him out."

"Don't take unnecessary risks, Jay," Jesse said, looking at me closely.

I just glared at him, causing him to hold up his hands in surrender.

"All right, fine, whatever you want, Jaden," Atem said, though his face betrayed that he didn't like it.

"Just be careful; we have no idea what this guy is capable of," Yusei said.

I nodded.

"Well, I have some news," Nathan said, walking into the room. Everyone looked at him; he didn't look happy.

Guess it isn't good news.

"What is it, Nathan?" Jesse asked.

Nathan sighed and looked at Atem. "An old friend of mine from my Crib days lives here in Domino City; he's got a few connections with the black market here."

"Wait, there's a black market here?" Joey asked, jumping forward.

Kaiba kicked him. "How do you think we get all of our weapons, Mutt?"

Joey glared at him and made a move to punch him for the kick when Tristan and Marik both tackled him to the ground.

"Ignoring Joey, what does this friend of yours know?" Atem asked.

"He's heard a rumor that the Skulls are roaming the streets of Domino and are close to cracking," Nathan explained.

The ruckus behind us silenced immediately. A moment later the rest of the Pyramids were standing behind Atem. Serenity even managed to squeeze herself in and grab Atem's arm, keeping him from running anywhere.

"What do you mean by 'cracking'?" Tristan asked his tone low and hard.

Nathan held his hands up, as if the Pyramids were going to attack _him_. "Like how they were in Ochi City."

"You mean psychotic? Attacking and killing people for no reason?" I guessed, not really guessing. The Skulls had a one-track mind back in Ochi; I never thought it had changed…it really didn't now that I think about it.

"Yes, Jaden, that's precisely what I mean."

Jesse, Jim, and I shared a look.

"Just exactly how reliable is this 'friend' of yours, Nathan?" Jim asked.

Nathan slowly lowered his hands. "Very, which is the reason why I don't like this news."

"Neither do we," Kaiba said.

"They're in our home_town_," Joey snarled, looking a little more than just pissed off.

"Atem, we can't let them do anything," Marik whispered.

Atem nodded. "And we won't."

"Now wait just one minute, Atem," Serenity began but he cut her off.

"We don't have a minute, Serenity. I'm sorry." He shrugged off her hands and quickly ran out the door. Marik, Tristan, and Kaiba followed him.

Joey squeezed his sister's shoulder. "Relax, Sis! We'll be fine!" With that, he followed everyone.

She gave me a worried look. "Last time they said that, Atem got blown up."

I frowned and began to chew on my thumbnail.

"We should go help them," Yusei said. "They're going to need it."

I nodded. "Right, let's go."

Everyone (being the Singers and the Bloods) made a move to get up.

"No, don't," Yugi said, catching my arm.

I looked up at him. "What? Do you want them to get caught by a Skull and killed?"

His face paled but he shook his head. "No, of course I don't want _that _but you don't understand. This is their **home**, Jaden. The Skulls are encroaching on their territory." He released my arm. "Don't you remember the protective feeling you get over your own territory or has it been too long?"

"That's not fair, Yugi! Of course I remember!" I said.

"Then how would you feel if two gangs suddenly decided to help you defend your own territory?"

I glared at him. "Hello? That's what we're doing!"

"You asked for the help, Jaden; Atem and the other Pyramids didn't."

"He's right, Jaden," Julie said, standing at the bottom of the stairs. "They want to do this by themselves. If anything happens then you can knock some sense into them. They're testosterone fueled Neanderthals. Maybe you can relate."

"Ouch! Way to attack my manhood, Julie," I said, mock-flinching.

She just smirked and sat down on the bottom step. Jesse sat down next to her and grabbed her hand, slinging their fingers together. "But she has a point," he said, looking up at me.

I frowned and looked up at Yusei, who was shaking his head in a way that made it seem like he was trying to shake away the sense all of it was making. "Fine," I conceded a moment later. "I'll let them do it by themselves." I looked at Serenity, seeing that she looked worried but nodded, understanding everything. "Maybe they will be fine."

"Or they'll be blown up again," Yusei said, lighting another cigarette.

_**xXx**_

_**Narrative POV**_

"Does anyone else feel like they're going to be blown up at any minute?" Tristan asked, slamming the lid back onto a trashcan.

Atem gave him a dirty look. "Last time you had that feeling, Tristan, I did." He kicked a few stray garbage bags over, seeing if someone was hiding underneath them. "So quit having them."

"Yeah, Tristan. We'll be fine," Joey said, climbing the ladder to a fire escape. "I think we can handle a few Skulls."

"Maybe, maybe not," Atem murmured.

"What do you mean, Atem?" Marik asked.

Atem sighed. "It's just what happened on our way back from New Domino City."

Joey jumped off the ladder and walked over to Atem, nodding. "You mean what happened with Jaden on the road with Kalin and Bakura."

Atem nodded and began walking down the street, everyone else following him.

"What did happen?" Kaiba asked.

"Jaden…changed. It was weird," Joey said, looking down every alley as they passed it.

"Changed how?" Marik asked.

"Changed like his eyes turned from brown to honey. His voice even changed, like he had a darker personality in him."

"Sounds to me like what happened with Yugi and Atem when we were growing up," Tristan said.

Atem chuckled but shook his head. "Not exactly, Tristan. Jaden's alter ego is much…darker than I was to Yugi. In fact, I don't even think he's an alter ego."

"Then what happened?" Joey asked.

"I think it's more like a darker part _of _Jaden, a part that grew inside him because of this life." He sighed and looked around, nonchalantly checking the crowd for Skulls.

"So you think that that Jaden with the honey eyes is the one we've heard about?" Kaiba asked.

Atem nodded. "Yes. Jaden is a brilliant fighter but that one, the honey-eyed one is most defiantly the one that does the killing."

"Huh, weird," Joey said.

"Yes, but I think we should stop talking about Jaden and focus on the task at hand," Atem said, stopping at the corner. "Split up and call for help when you think you've found a Skull."

"What if we find Viper, Camula, or Giese?" Marik asked.

Atem shook his head. "Kill them; I'll talk to Jim, Julie, and Jesse when we get back." He looked at everyone. "Now move."

Everyone nodded and began running in separate directions. Atem crossed the street slowly. '_Come out, come out wherever you are you damn Skulls._'

_**xXx**_

Marik walked down an alley, feeling oddly drawn to it.

"Looking for me?"

Marik whirled around to see Bakura standing right behind him, smirking wickedly. "Bakura!" he gasped.

"Bingo."

Marik leaned down in a fighting stance, prepared to fight Bakura, who simply tisked at him, wagging his finger disapprovingly. "Now, Marik," he began, walking slowly toward him; Marik unconsciously took a step back. "Can't we settle this without the use of violence?"

"I don't know," Marik said eyes hard on Bakura. "Can we?"

Bakura smirked sickly. "Perhaps not but I believe your leader told you to call for help if you found a Skull, am I wrong?"

Marik bristled at his patronizing tone. "I don't need their help; I can take care of you myself."

"I doubt that very much."

Marik lunged at Bakura, swinging his fist at his head. Bakura ducked out of the way of the blindly thrown fist, catching it with his hand. "This is exactly what I meant," he said, crushing Marik's hand with his.

Marik crumpled to the ground, clutching his hand. "Bastard," he gasped between pants of pain.

Bakura laughed loudly, throwing his head back. "You are too easy, Marik! I knew I made the right decision by choosing you as my target."

Marik paled as he saw the dark glint in Bakura's eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Please, you actually thought that us Skulls would be close to 'cracking' when we're so close to actually accomplishing our goal?"

"And what is your goal, Bakura?"

Bakura looked closely at him and shrugged. "Well, sense you're going to die anyway, I might as well tell you." He turned his back to Marik, who turned on his walkie-talkie, just enough where a Pyramid would hear what Bakura was about to tell him.

"You see, Marik, the man I work for is quite a vengeful soul, even more than I am. He hates the Bloods."

"Why? He couldn't have been that high ranking in the Skulls before if he survived the slaughter of his other members."

Bakura nodded and looked back at him, arms folded across his chest. "You're right, he wasn't a ranking member. Far from it, this is exactly why the leader of the Skulls recruited him last minute."

Marik raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Bakura laughed again. "The original leader of the Skulls is the one who was beaten by Jaden Yuki, the whole reason why the Slaughter of the Skulls began! Those idiotic Bloods played right into his hands!"

Marik gasped. "What! You mean the Skulls _wanted _the Bloods to take them out!?"

Bakura smirked evilly. "Exactly that."

"Why!"

"My leader wasn't quite sure; the original leader said that the 'fun of being a Skull had run its course.' Causing trouble with the only other worthy gang is the last thing he wanted to do before he died." Bakura pulled out a knife and began to test the point with his fingertip.

Marik paled a little at seeing blood pool on his fingertip. "But he was killed by the Bloods."

"Yes, exactly as he wanted."

"Then why recruit someone who would take revenge years later!"

Bakura smiled in a way that caused Marik to shiver involuntarily. "Because he knew Jaden Yuki would survive."

"Wait, he recruited your leader so he could get revenge on **Jaden**?"

"You catch on fast for a neurotic moron."

Marik ignored the comment. "Why?"

Bakura shrugged and looked closely at the tip of his knife. "Why the old leader wanted to make sure Jaden Yuki was killed is something I don't have the answer to. All I know is my leader despises him with every fiber of his being and is enjoying this little game quite a lot."

"Game?"

"Yes, don't you see, Marik? Sure, he wants all the other Bloods dead, but Jaden is his real target. Killing all of his old friends and anyone close to him is only a bonus!" Bakura laughed, cutting his palm with his knife.

"So your leader is torturing Jaden by killing all of his friends!"

"Exactamundo! Wow, you're pretty bright today." Bakura chuckled. "Well, for the most part." He took a step toward Marik, who stumbled back blindly on his hands, cussing and cradling the now broken one. His walkie-talkie flew out of his pocket, skidding across the ground. He looked at it in horror. Bakura chuckled again. "I knew you contacted your friends, Marik, but it doesn't matter. I wanted them to know this plan."

Marik looked at him confused. "Why?"

"My orders. You see, I was told to take out a Pyramid and let them relay the information I just told you. Can you imagine how much more torture that will cause Jaden? Knowing that all of his friends have been killed because of him and **only **him?" He smirked. "I mean, right now he thinks that he and his Bloods are the only reason everyone is dropping like flies, but my boss doesn't care about them."

"You just want to hurt Jaden in anyway possible and then come back and kill him in the end when he has nothing left to lose."

Bakura shook his head. "No, my boss has quite the devious idea in mind for Jaden's final moments and it will be quite a spectacle." He smirked evilly at Marik. "Trust me."

"I don't."

Bakura chuckled again and took a step away from Marik. "Good, but I'm afraid this conversation is over. Goodbye, Marik. I enjoyed this little chat of ours."

Marik paled as he watched Bakura summon a spirit duel monster, a pure, deadly beast; it already had blood dripping from its mouth. Before Bakura said anything, the beast was on Marik, snarling. He cried and thrashed, trying to pull the beast off of him, but it was no use; it had already sunken it's claws and mouth into him, clawing at his flesh.

As Marik was torn and mutilated by the beast, Bakura watched on with a sick smile.

_**xXx**_

Atem and his fellow Pyramids rushed into the alley where Marik's signal had come from; each of them had heard what Bakura had told him.

They also heard his scream of pain and the snarl of a beast.

"Damn it, Marik!" Atem yelled as he rounded into the alley, skidding to a stop. Joey and Tristan both slammed into him, Kaiba slowly walking in behind them. Before their eyes was their fellow Pyramid, bloody and mutilated beyond recognition.

"He's dead," Joey whispered.

Atem ground his teeth together and looked up. "Yes, and now Bakura is mine."

_**xXx**_

…_Are there any Marik fangirls here? If so…*runs and hides*_

_XD Sorry guys! Anyway, please review! … Seriously, review. :) Cookies if you do! _

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	24. Fight as One

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess; she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: This entire story is mine, the plot especially. Every OC is mine and everything about this story is unique. Any and all copiers in any way WILL BE reported to the administrators. Please don't take anything. **_

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

Everyone's heads snapped toward the sound of the front door opening up. They Pyramids walked into the house, heads hanging a little too low. I jumped to my feet when I noticed they were one short; Marik was gone.

"Atem, what happened?" I demanded, seeing that he was standing farther back than the rest of his Pyramids. Joey and Tristan, seeing my eyes focused on where Atem was standing, moved out of my way and stood behind me; Kaiba followed them.

"Atem, what's wrong?" Serenity asked, standing in the doorway, watching him with concerned eyes.

He sighed and looked up at us, mainly her though. "Bakura killed Marik; he's dead."

Everyone remained silent, taking in the information. I blinked a few times before walking over to Atem and punching him in the jaw. He fell down on his knees, clutching it. A little blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth. Instantly Joey, Tristan, and Kaiba jumped to their feet. Jim and Jesse reacted a moment faster though and got in their way, stopping them from killing me for striking their leader.

"Jaden, why did you _do _that?" Hassleberry demanded.

I ignored him and grabbed the collar of Atem's shirt and punched him again, holding him so he wouldn't fall the floor.

"Jaden, stop!" Serenity screamed making a move to intervene but Julie grabbed her wrist, keeping her in place.

"**YOU ARE A FUCKING IDIOT!**" I screamed at Atem, who dropped his head so he didn't have to look at me. I grew annoyed and slammed his back against a wall, causing a picture to fall off and shatter against the floor. He grunted in pain. "**LOOK AT ME!**"

Slowly he titled his head up to look at me. He looked so devastated at the loss of Marik, but I could also see the guilt in his eyes.

"You deserved that! You deserved to lose someone like that for that idiotic move you just pulled!" I snapped.

Atem's eyes grew wide and everyone behind me gasped.

"That's going too far, Jaden!" Yugi snapped, sounding angry.

"No, Yugi, Jaden's right," Atem said, slouching against the wall.

"Atem," Serenity gasped. I let go of his collar and let him fall to the ground.

"No, we shouldn't have run off like that. Marik is dead because we got tricked, because we became protective and possessive of the city. We became cocky and overconfident thinking we could take care of these Skulls by ourselves but we can't!"

"You really are the biggest hypocrite I've ever met, Atem," I said. "Aren't you the one who said that my Bloods and I can't take on the Skulls by ourselves?"

"Yes."

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, taking deep breathes.

"But, Atem, Jaden and I both understand why you guys reacted the way you did," Yusei said, stepping forward. Atem and I turned to look at him; he stopped and stood next to me. "Had this been New Domino City or Ochi City, either of us would have run out that door faster than anything to stop the Skulls same as you."

I sighed again. "Right, I guess it's our fault too for not following them."

Yusei nodded.

"Everyone and no one is really to blame here. There was no right way to handle the news," Julie said.

"Very true," Jack said.

"I just don't understand why my friend would tell me something like that," Nathan said, biting on his thumb. "He's usually very reliable."

"Don't go writing him off as a liar just yet, Nathan, he still is," Joey said.

"What do you mean?" Nathan looked at him confused.

Joey stuffed his hands in his jean pockets. "Bakura fed that lie to the black market hoping to draw us out of hiding and into the open. It was all part of the leader's plan to feed us information, his true master plan."

I looked at Joey, not liking the tone his voice had taken. "What kind of plan is that?"

He didn't look at me, staring at the floor. I looked at all the Pyramids, seeing that they were all avoiding eye contact with me.

"Damn it! Someone better explain this plan to me now or I'm gonna start knocking some heads in!" I snarled.

"The leader of the Skulls isn't interested in completely eliminating the Bloods, Jaden," Atem said.

I looked at him, seeing that he was staring at my feet to avoid looking at my face. "What do you mean? Of course that's his plan!"

"It's all a game to him, Jaden. Sure, he wants to eliminate the Bloods, but he only has one real goal." Atem looked at me. "And that's you."

"Me?"

"The leader of the Skulls is only interested in killing _you_. Don't you see? This is all a **game**! Every life that isn't yours that is taken is meant to torture you! They aren't really the focus of the leader, he only wants to cause you pain!"

I'm not exactly sure how I can react to that. I've seen how these Skulls kill; I've seen the ones they've killed and it isn't pretty. I saw how Emmy lost it when Chris was killed; I see the need for vengeance etched onto Julie's and Jim's face for the death of Emmy and Axel.

And now it's all because of me?

"Why?" Yusei asked, grabbing my elbow and holding it tightly so I didn't collapse to the floor like I almost did.

"The original leader recruited the new leader last minute of the war in which you destroyed the Skulls because he knew you would survive, Jaden," Atem said, finally looking at my face. "The new leader hates you for some reason and the original recruited him because he knew that you would be killed someday by the hand of a Skull."

I shook my head slowly. "And this new leader recruited all of these Skulls so they could take out the banes of their existence while he takes out _me_? And it's all meant as a game to torture me?"

"Yes."

I let out a shaky breath and shook off Yusei's hand, walking over to Atem. He watched me cautiously, eyes zeroing in on my extended hand. He took it and I pulled him to his feet.

"From here on out we fight as one. We aren't the Bloods, and the Pyramids, and the Signers. We're just a group of people working together to eliminate the Skulls once and for all." I looked at everyone. "And if we don't fight as one the Skulls will kill us all."

All because of me.

_**xXx**_

…_Yeah…not quite sure…about this one…my file with all my chapter summaries that I use to help guide the chapter is being dumb so…yeah…_

_It's interesting though! XD Please review! :D_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	25. Hunting the Hunters

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess; she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: This entire story is mine, the plot especially. Every OC is mine and everything about this story is unique. Any and all copiers in any way WILL BE reported to the administrators. Please don't take anything. **_

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

"Onii-Chan, what are you guys going to do now?" Jess whispered to me, her head resting against my shoulder as I held her.

I frowned and looked out the window, smoothing my hand over her hair without thinking about it. "I don't know. I'll have to talk with Jesse and see if he has any ideas."

She nodded, her chin digging into my shoulder. Her hand clutched the front of my shirt. "You'll be careful, right?"

I smiled and brushed my lips over her forehead. "Of course I will; I always am."

She nodded again.

"Here, why don't you go see if Julie needs help with Maria or something?" I set her down on her feet and she ran off toward the bedroom where Julie was with Maria. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair.

"Any ideas?" Jesse asked, walking over to me.

I shook my head. "No." I looked out the window, stuffing my hands in my jean pockets. Jesse stood next to me, silent as he allowed me to think about what Bakura told Marik.

"You know," he said after a moment. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. He was staring out the window, "it isn't your fault, no matter what Bakura told Marik."

I frowned and shook my head again.

He spoke before I could. "Don't you dare blame yourself, Jaden. When the Skulls targeted you, they targeted us whether or not it was their intention. Anyone who wants to kill you will have to kill all of us to get that far."

"Don't talk like that," I hissed, looking over my shoulder as I heard Julie enter the room, bouncing Maria in her arms. I glared at him. "I'd rather die then let _you _die."

He looked over his shoulder casually, eyes darkening when he saw his family. "What good would that do?" He looked at me. "When you'd leave Jess and Alexis behind?"

My heart clenched but I ignored it, keeping my expression blank. "Jess has Tony and Alexis has Atticus. You are all Julie and Maria have."

"You forget about Nathan."

For a moment I did. "Julie and him are still on the fence with each other, right?"

He frowned. "Not so much, but yes, I suppose she still has some qualms with him." He sighed then and ran his fingers through his hair much like I did a few minutes ago. "Okay, how about this: neither of us die and you don't blame yourself at all?"

"But it's a _game _to him, Jesse! A game of torture meant only for me!" I tried to keep quiet and my voice ended up sounding too desperate for my liking.

"He's torturing us all, Jaden." He smiled at me. "And we have the King of Games on our side, who do you thinks gonna win?"

I chuckled despite myself and nudged him with my elbow; he was chuckling too. Jesse was the only person who could make me completely forget about everything bad that's happening around me.

"Okay," I said after a minute. "I won't blame myself. It isn't going to do any good anyway."

Jesse smiled at me, throwing his arm around my shoulders. "That sounds more like my bestest buddy!"

I laughed and tired getting him off of me but he just started giving me a noogie. I was half tempted to flip him over my shoulder but he has always been able to read my thoughts and released me once it passed my mind.

"Can I assume the two of you have come up with a plan?" Yusei asked.

I sighed and turned to see that he and everyone else was staring at Jesse and I. "No," I said.

"What can we do?" Julie asked, handing Maria to Nathan. "We don't even know where to begin." That right there is one of the things I love and hate about Julie at the same time: she always says exactly what everyone is thinking when she knows it's the truth.

"Well," Jack said, jumping to his feet. "I don't know about the rest of ya'll but I don't intend to keep sitting around doing nothing while I'm being hunted by a bunch of psycho maniacs."

"And what _do _you intend to do?" Akiza said.

Jack smirked at her. "I intend to hunt the hunters."

"You want to go out and hunt down the people who are trying to _kill you?_" Chazz clarified, sounding like he thought Jack was out of his mind.

Jack just nodded.

"You're out of your mind," Chazz said.

"No, I'm not. Listen, these Skulls always seem to get the jump on us because we aren't ready for them. And don't say you are because if you were then Marik wouldn't be dead and neither would Emmy or Axel." His voice was hard as he looked pointedly at Atem and me; we both flinched slightly.

Akiza kicked him in the butt, an annoyed look on her face. She was actually looking much better, having slept for a few hours. Her battle with Sartorius was only this morning…it seems so long ago.

"He's right though," Jesse said.

"Yes," Greiger agreed with a nod.

I looked at Atem and Yusei, seeing both of them staring at me. They shrugged, leaving the decision up to me. I sighed and nodded. "Okay, Jack's right."

"Jaden, you can't be serious," Blair whispered.

"Sitting around here won't do any good. The Skulls are out _there _not in here and we won't have a moments peace as long as that remains fact." My tone was firm and hard, silencing further protests by my friends.

"What are we going to do?" Hassleberry asked.

I glared at him. "There isn't a 'we' this time, guys. You stay **here**."

"Not again!" Atticus complained.

Jim placed a firm hand on his shoulder, keeping him from jumping up. "Sorry, Mates, but Jaden's right."

Julie nodded. "These Skulls are just too dangerous. It's best if you just stay here with Yugi and Serenity; it's safer that way."

"What good was us coming if we can't do anything?" Syrus asked.

"If you guys want to help why don't you help Yugi try and dig up more information on the Skulls?" I offered.

"How's that?" Bastion asked.

I shrugged. "Yugi's the one to ask, not me."

Everyone looked annoyed that I was shutting them out (again) but they really couldn't help this time, even if Chazz does know kung-fu **(1)**.

"So how are the rest of us hunting these hunters?" Joey asked, standing up and cracking his knuckles.

"We'll split up and scatter around the town, keeping communication with the walkie-talkies." I grabbed mine, changing the channel to **1**. Everyone else did it without being told to. "Yusei you and Greiger go together and check out the park and the twenty-first district of the city."

The two of them nodded, looking at each other.

"Jack and Crow will go and check out the docks and warehouse district."

Crow nodded and looked excited while Jack looked annoyed that I was ordering him around, but he didn't complain; he nodded curtly.

"Atem and Kaiba will go check out downtown."

"Okay," Atem said, looking over at Kaiba who nodded as well.

"Tristan and Joey will go look around the residential district of the city."

The two of them nodded and bumped fists.

"Jesse, Jim, Julie, and I will go out on our own."

They nodded, understanding, while everyone else looked a little startled.

"Alone?" Alexis whispered.

"Isn't that a bit dangerous?" Akiza asked.

I shrugged. "Possibly, but the four of us have our own ghosts we want to kill and being together would cause each of us to tie the other down. Besides, we can cover more ground if the four of us go by ourselves."

"What about Akiza?" Aster asked.

"I'm hanging back, at least for now," she answered. "I may look better but I can barely see straight." As if to prove her point, she reached out to smack him across the arm; she ended up smacking him across the face.

"Geez! You're so violent!" He pressed his hand against his face as he ducked another one of her blindly thrown shots.

"Okay, enough," I said fiercely, stopping the nonsense before it began. "Let's get moving; the longer we stay here the longer the Skulls have to get ahead of us."

Everyone nodded and headed out without much fanfare.

_**xXx**_

"Be careful, Jay," Jesse called as he ran down the street toward the north side of town. I waved my hand at him. The four of us decided to head in the general four directions: Jesse was heading north, Julie was heading south (they're choice, not mine), Jim headed west, and I was going east. I was just about to turn the corner away from Yugi's mansion when I sensed someone following me.

'_A Skull?_' I wondered. As I turned the corner, I grabbed my gun and spun around, pointing the barrel the person behind me.

My heart literally stopped.

Alexis was standing behind me, eyes blank as I pointed a loaded _gun _in her face.

"Alexis!" I gasped, dropping the gun quickly. She nodded. "What are you doing?" I demanded.

"I'm going with you."

"What! No you're not! You're going back to Yugi's mansion right now!" I placed my gun back in the hem of my pants, tucking my shirt and jacket around it.

"No, I'm not."

I glared up at her, heart beating rapidly in my chest. "Yes, you are."

She glared back at me. "You've been avoiding me ever since Emmy was murdered."

"What? I have not." Yes, yes I have.

"Yes you have!" She stamped her foot on the ground, glaring at me. "Why are you blowing me off?"

"I'm not-" I began but she cut me off.

"Yes you are!" She stamped her foot again. I groaned and buried my face in my hands, shaking my head. I could hear my heart beating in my ear; Alexis standing right here, out in the open, when there was more than half a dozen people out there thirsting for anything that would torture me further than they already have.

"I thought you said I wasn't supposed to leave your side for even a moment?"

I looked up then, seeing that she had lost all of her anger. She was staring at the ground, her hand folded against her other arm across her chest. "Lex, that isn't fair. I'm just trying to protect you."

"By leaving me alone and completely ignoring me?" She looked up then and I could see how much pain I caused her; it made me sick.

"I…I just have a lot on my mind."

"And I understand that." She took a hesitant step toward me and, when I didn't take one back, she took my hands in hers and pulled them down and around her, pressing against me so she could wrap her arms around me and rest her head on my chest, just beneath my chin. "You're trying to protect people you love without getting others killed in the process."

"That is my goal," I whispered, tightening my arms around her waist.

"But you fail to understand what everyone seems to get."

"And what's that?" I personally thought I had a pretty good grasp on the situation.

"Julie and I were talking about it while I was helping her with Maria and then Jim and Jesse talked about it with us also."

I frowned, not liking where this was going. "And?"

"And they all agree that leaving me back with everyone else is dumb."

I pushed Alexis back, keeping a firm hold on her shoulders. She looked startled but I didn't care.

"Dumb! Me trying to protect you is **dumb**!? I fail to see how that is true!"

"Jaden, calm down." She placed her hands on mine, staring me in the face calmly.

"Calm down!" I tried to pull my hands back but she kept them firmly on her shoulders, hands tightening around my wrists. "How can I calm down? Everyone I know is ganging up on me when all I'm doing is trying to protect the person I love most!"

Alexis released my hands, placing her own on my cheeks and holding my face tenderly. I felt something wet slide between her hand and my cheek; I realized a moment later that it was my tears. I was _crying_.

"I know," she whispered. "They know, but that's the exact reason why leaving me behind with everyone else isn't a good idea."

"How is that not a good idea?" I said softly, my hands loosening on her shoulders.

"Jaden, they know that you love me and would do anything to protect me. Therefore they know that if they had me then they'd be able to get you to do anything they wanted. If you leave me back with everyone else and they come after me then that's just putting everyone else in danger."

Damn logic.

"But being with me out here while I'm hunting Skulls isn't a smart idea either!"

She shook her head softly. "Jesse thinks they wouldn't try to come after me if I'm with you. They want to torture you, Jaden, not go hand-to-hand with you."

Damn logic.

"But-"

She pressed her hands against my face. "There aren't any more excuses for you to come up with. Everyone knows I'm safest with you and, whether you like it or not, I'm coming with you."

"When did you become so damn stubborn?" I demanded softly, closing my eyes and shaking my head in abandon. There wasn't anything else I could do or say to change her mind. She was coming with me and I just have to deal with that, even though I still don't like it.

"I've always been stubborn, but you've just always made good decisions about my safety and everyone elses, except now." Still holding my face, she pulled my head down and pressed her lips to my forehead lovingly. "Everything will be okay, Jaden."

I slowly opened my eyes and looked into hers, still not feeling this was the best way to go but too tired to argue any longer. "No, it won't but I'm just going to have to live with that."

_**xXx**_

_**Narrative POV**_

"_Everything is pretty quiet over here,_" Crow said, sighing.

Yusei chuckled and shook his head while Greiger rolled his eyes. "Only Crow would be disappointed at not finding some psychopath to fight," Yusei said, chuckling a little.

"Yes," Greiger agreed with a nod.

"_What about you guys? Do you guys see anything over there?_" Crow asked, a little excitement in his voice.

"Sorry, Crow, but it's pretty dead over here as well," Yusei said, holding down the button on his walkie-talkie so Crow would hear him. He and Greiger heard Crow cuss. "Why are you so desperate to find a Skull, Crow?" Yusei wondered.

"_Just because I want to find them. Jaden and the other Bloods shouldn't have to deal with these guys again and they've already lost two members._"

"Yes, and Julie nearly three times," Greiger commented. Yusei had the button pressed down so Crow heard his comment.

"_Yeah, that too. Really, these Skulls are pissing me off and I don't want to see another Blood be killed by their hands._"

"You and me both, Crow, but we can't protect them when they won't even protect themselves," Yusei said, sighing as he remembered that the Bloods were running around this Skull-infested city by themselves.

"_Don't worry, Yusei. They can handle themselves pretty well._"

"And that's what worries me," he said, sighing again. Just then, before Crow could speak again, Yusei's head snapped up and he looked to his right, into the trees of Domino City Park.

"What is it, Yusei?" Greiger asked softly, following Yusei's line of vision.

"I thought I heard something." He narrowed his eyes and tried to peer into the darkness.

"A Skull?" Greiger wondered.

"Maybe." Yusei put of his talkie, ignoring Crow calling out for him to answer. He pulled a gun out of the waistband of his pants. "You head that way-" he pointed in front of him "-and I'll go into the park to see if I can find the Skull."

"You shouldn't go by yourself," Greiger said.

Yusei smiled at him. "I'm going to try and get him out, Greiger, and lead him out here. That's why I want you standing over there." Yusei jerked his head toward the bridge where he pointed for Greiger to go.

Greiger nodded and Yusei hurried into the dark line of trees, disappearing quickly into the shadows. Heeding his leader's orders, Greiger walked over to the bridge, pulling out his gun to inspect it for a moment.

"Left all alone, Greiger?"

Greiger spun around quickly, pointing his gun at the person who spoke: it was Kalin. He stood just a few feet away from the African Signer, smirking widely and wickedly at him. "You must be Kalin," Greiger said, voice steady.

Kalin's grin spread wider. "Well, I'm mildly surprised you knew it was me."

"Wasn't that hard to figure out; I've heard a lot about you from my fellow Signers."

Kalin's grin fell quickly, face twisting up in a dark scowl. "You mean your fellow _traitors!_ I worked so hard to get my three best friends into the Skulls with me and how do they repay me? By turning their backs on me and starting a new gang without me! And, just to rub more salt in my wound, they agreed to help the Bloods!" Kalin spat at Greiger's feet. "You make me sick."

"The feeling is mutual." Greiger released the safety on his gun, keeping it level at the space between Kalin's eyes.

"Go ahead and pull the trigger, Big Guy. You won't kill me." Kalin held his arms open wide, inviting the bullet.

"But I will!" Yusei yelled, jumping out of the trees. Kalin and Greiger both turned their heads quickly, seeing the leader of the Signers at the end of the bridge, his gun leveled at Kalin's head.

Kalin smirked wickedly at his former-best friend. "Yusei, it's been too long."

"Not long enough," he said. "If I recall, you said the next time you saw me you'd kill me." Yusei looked himself over. "And I seem to be pretty much alive."

"For now, maybe," Kalin said, all humor gone from his dark tone. "If I weren't under orders right now, you would be dead."

"And what orders are you under exactly, Kalin?" Yusei wondered, taking a step toward the bridge.

Kalin smirked. "Just this." He then reached into the pocket of his pants and threw a knife at Greiger. The knife spun in the air quickly, embedding the large blade end in Greiger's chest.

He gasped and his gun fell from his hand, clattering against the pavement without going off.

"Greiger!" Yusei cried as he watched his friend stumble backwards. Seeing what was about to happen, he forgot about Kalin and rushed toward Greiger, but he was too slow. Greiger hit the edge of the bridge and stumbled over the edge, falling into the rushing water beneath it. Yusei clutched the edge of the bridge as he watched Greiger's body disappear with the swift current.

"Kalin!" he snarled, turning around quickly. Again he was too late; Kalin had already disappeared as quickly as he had appeared, his mission complete. Yusei looked around and spotted Greiger's gun. He picked it up, too large in his hands but perfect for Greiger. His teeth ground together and he glared up at nothing, hand tightening around the gun in his hand. "You are dead, Kalin. I swear to God, I'll kill you myself!"

_**xXx**_

_T.T I love Greiger! :( I'm so sad!_

_But I shall survive! _

_Reviews are magical! They help this story update faster (no lie!) so review! Really guys, review._

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**

**1. Yeah, Chazz knows kung-fu. See **_**War Between Gangs **_**chapter 33 for why I came up with that. :)**


	26. All According to Plan

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess; she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: This entire story is mine, the plot especially. Every OC is mine and everything about this story is unique. Any and all copiers in any way WILL BE reported to the administrators. Please don't take anything. **_

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

My walkie-talkie buzzed in my pocket. I glanced down at it, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. Alexis squeezed my hand, looking at me questioningly. I shrugged and pulled it out, holding down the button.

"Jaden Yuki, go."

"_Greiger's dead,_" Yusei said, voice flat.

I felt my shoulders sag slightly when I heard Alexis gasp. I murmured into the talkie, "Atem, you there?" There was a buzz of silence.

"_Yes._"

"Everyone meet back at Yugi's in ten; Yusei, where are you?"

"_The bridge where Kalin killed Greiger, near Domino City Park._"

"_I'll pick him up, Mate. I'm heading over the bridge right now,_" Jim said, knowing where I was going.

"_Yeah, I see him_," Yusei confirmed.

I nodded and flicked off my walkie-talkie. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair, feeling a heavy weight setting on my chest. "Let's go back," I whispered a moment later. I turned to go but was stopped by Alexis.

"Are you okay?" she asked when I looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

I shrugged. "No, another person's dead because of me."

She frowned. "It isn't your fault."

I smiled at her, grateful to see that she was trying to cheer me up but too far gone to care. "That makes two today."

"Stop that," she whispered, taking a step toward me. She pulled me toward her, resting my head on her shoulder and running her fingers through my hair. Oddly it felt _right _to be held like that, comforting. "Marik made the mistake to take on Bakura by himself. Atem even said his death was caused by his own hand; you can't blame yourself."

I pulled away, turning so I didn't look at her. "Oh, can't I?"

"No, you can't." She cupped my chin with her hand and jerked my head back so I was staring straight into her blazing eyes. "Blaming yourself won't do a damn thing and I refuse to stand by and let you continue doing it!"

I smiled at her sadly, shaking my head so her hand fell. "Sorry, Lex, but there isn't anything you can do that will stop me from blaming myself."

She pinched me.

"Ow!" I grabbed my elbow, which was turning red, and turned to look at her in surprise. "What was that for?"

"For being an idiot." She pinched me again, higher on my arm.

"Ow!" I swatted her hand. "Stop that!"

"Then stop blaming yourself!"

"Wait. Are you going to pinch me every time you think I'm blaming myself?"

"If I have to, yes."

I blinked and looked at her in surprise. She raised her hand. "Do I need to pinch you again?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. After a moment I sighed. "Let's go; we're going to be late as it is." I took her hand and began leading her back to Yugi's.

"Jaden," she said softly a moment later, her opposite hand curling around my elbow.

"Hm?" I looked down at her, staring at the top of her head.

"You're worried, about everyone else, right?"

I pursed my lips and looked ahead, stopping at the corner when the light flashed red. "Yes, of course I am."

"So why aren't you worried about yourself?"

I squeezed her hand, kissing the top of her head. "Silly, of course I'm worried about myself, too."

She simply scowled at me. "Not as much as you are the others."

I sighed. "True, but I know I can handle anything the Skulls try." _At least I hope I can._

"You don't think the others can?" She raised an eyebrow at me.

"I think they can but after Axel, Chris, Emmy, Marik, and now Greiger, I'm not so sure anymore."

"Yet you trust they can but worry all the same?"

"Yes, but I know they trust me and worry the same, if not more, about me." I looked at her. "Isn't that right?"

She shrugged and looked back across the street. "I suppose so."

I chuckled and led her across the street; I could see Yugi's mansion off in the distance. "The thing is I'd worry no matter what was going on; I worried about them back at Duel Academy and I'll probably worry about them up until the day I die." _Which hopefully won't be for another fifty years or so._

"And they did the same."

"Not all of them, but from now on, yes, they probably will." I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair.

"Hey," Jesse said, jogging up to us. He looked only slightly surprised at seeing Alexis on my arm. "Did you hear about what happened to Greiger?"

"You mean that he's dead?" I asked, heading back toward Yugi's; he quickly began to follow on my right. "Yeah, Yusei was over the walkie-talkie."

Jesse shook his head. "No, about _how _Kalin killed him."

I looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"

Jesse looked at me. "Kalin killed Greiger right in front of Yusei."

Alexis' hand tightened around mine as I stared at Jesse wide eyed. "He did what now?" I stammered.

Jesse placed his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it tightly. "Yeah, I heard Yusei telling Jack and Crow of the talkie." He raised an eyebrow at me. "Why didn't you hear them?"

I shook my head, shrugging off his hand. "Why does that matter?"

He sighed. "Good point." He jerked his thumb toward Yugi's house. "Let's get going; Yusei can explain it better than I did."

I frowned but followed him, not sure I really wanted to hear a better explanation.

_**xXx**_

"I just couldn't stop it," Yusei whispered, placing his face in his hands. Akiza sat next to him, trying to take a hand from his face.

"But it isn't your fault," she said. He shook his head.

"Doesn't matter. I was there, I could have prevented it." He sounded so defeated.

"You couldn't have stopped it, Yusei," Atem said. He sighed and ran his fingers through his tri-colored hair. "Kalin was there for one reason and one reason only." He looked at Yusei, who had finally pried his hands away from his face. "And killing you wasn't it."

Jack slammed his fist against the wall, eyes like daggers on Atem. "Are you saying that bastard Kalin was only there to kill Greiger!"

Kaiba leveled Jack with a cool gaze. "That's exactly what we're saying."

"Why the hell would he want to do that!?" Crow demanded, jumping from his place on the couch.

Kaiba shrugged while Atem's eyes narrowed in thought. "I would assume it's the same reason Bakura killed Marik." He looked at Crow. "To get to us."

"To _get _to **us**!" Jack yelled.

"Oh, they got to us all right," Crow muttered, eyes blazing.

"Get those thoughts out of your heads you two dunderheads!" Akiza snapped, chucking a pillow at Jack's face. "There's more at stake here than the two of you seem to comprehend! Don't be idiots for once in your lives!"

"Don't get so high and mighty, Princess!" Jack snarled, turning to face her with a dark look in his eyes. "Just because you're banging the leader of the Signers doesn't mean you get to tell us what to do!" He pointed at her. "You have as much power as Crow does!"

Akiza snarled at him, and probably would have attacked him if Yusei wasn't clutching her hands the way he was. "Stop," he whispered. He looked up at Jack. "Sit down, Jack. We can't be fighting like this. Greiger was just killed and the two of you are getting ready to rip out each other's throats and I won't stand for it!" His cobalt eyes turned instantly to ice, causing Jack to snap his mouth shut and fall back into his seat.

"Yuse, what do we do?" Crow asked, looking at him.

Yusei shook his head, dropping his head against the back of the couch. "I don't know; I just don't know."

"Maybe we could help," Blair murmured.

Jack pounded his fist against the arm of his chair. "Not this shit again!"

She glared at him.

"Blair, we've been through this a dozen times! You guys _can't help!_" Jesse said, exasperated.

"You guys aren't giving us the chance to!" she objected.

"We're trying to protect you!" Jim snapped. Everyone started arguing then, loudly. Their voices melted together, becoming a loud noise all together. Then everyone fell silent for a moment, or maybe it was because I just tuned them out. I couldn't hear anything beyond the buzzing sound in my ears. I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed my fingers against my temples, rubbing them in a circular pattern, trying to ease the searing headache forming between my eyes.

"Jaden?" Alexis whispered, hand on my arm. She sounded far away. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, causing lightning to flash across my eyes as pain speared my brain.

"Jaden? Jaden!" She sounded alarmed and it took me a moment to figure out why. My legs buckled beneath me and I fell to the ground. Somehow I managed to catch myself, falling only to my knees while one hand clutched my forehead. Still, even though the buzzing grew louder and more painful, I could still hear everyone arguing, as if they didn't see me fall or hear Alexis scream.

I lost it.

"Shut up!" I screamed, jumping to my feet and kicking over the coffee table in the middle of the room, the glass top shattering into a million pieces. For once, everyone listened to me. I couldn't see and hearing was difficult but I wasn't going to let this go on any longer.

"That's enough! Everyone shut up for once and listen to me!" As I yelled, my vision slowly cleared. "Five of us are _dead_! DEAD! None of you seem to understand that!"

Jack snorted, "Don't be ridiculous, Ja-"

I threw a large shard of glass at him, slicing across his cheek. Blood trickled from the wound and down his chin. "I said shut up!"

His eyes grew wide and he smartly snapped his mouth shut.

"I am sick of the arguing!" I turned my head sharply, glaring at Blair. "And tired of the whining! We're going to do this damn thing _my _way and I don't give a damn if you like it or not! This arguing and this whining ends **now!**" I stamped my foot on the ground, snapping a piece of the already mutilated coffee table in half. I glared heatedly at the front of the room, not really looking at anyone. "If you want a God-damned dictator, fine! I'll be the dictator!"

I saw, out of the corner of my eye, Yusei and Atem sharing a secret smile, which I ignored. Everyone else was silent for a moment before Jesse cleared his throat, stepping forward. I glared at him, waiting for an argument.

"All right, Mr. Dictator." He smiled at me. "What's your plan?"

_**xXx**_

_**Narrative POV**_

The room was near completely dark, the only light coming from a naked blub swaying above a metal table. There was a phone resting in the middle of the table, two figures sitting at either end. One was Kalin, the other Bakura. Surrounding them were the rest of the Skulls, all cloaked in darkness. All were silent until the light in the phone began to blink red. Kalin and Bakura looked at each other. Bakura reached out and pressed a button on the phone, pulling the handset out of the cradle.

"Everyone is present and accounted for," Bakura said.

"Except for Sartorius," Kalin corrected.

"_Good,_" a voice said from the phone. "_Sartorius was expendable. He served his general purpose: to strike fear into the Bloods._"

"Kalin and I have achieved our appointed missions," Bakura reported.

"_Excellent; I knew you two were the right ones to select for these very important tasks._"

Both Kalin and Bakura beamed slightly at the praise.

"_Now the Bloods, Pyramids, and Signers are rattled. They're fighting amongst themselves but I'm not sure how long this will last._"

"What do you mean?" Kalin asked.

"_Jaden Yuki is taking dominance and everyone is following his lead. This inner confliction will be gone by nightfall. Tomorrow they will be out with a new plan, one created by Yuki._"

"Should we be wary of this plan?" Bakura asked.

"_Yes; he may seem dimwitted but when it comes to this life, the life of leading a gang, no one is smarter than him._" The voice sighed. "_But it matters not. Everything is going according to plan. I recruited each of you because you have a unique vendetta against the Bloods, some of you even have some against the Pyramids and Signers. I want you to harness all of you anger and rage and aim that toward your individual targets._"

"Yes sir," everyone said loudly, snapping to attention.

"_Good. And remember one thing: Jaden Yuki is __**mine**__. If any of you kill him, I will kill you slowly and much more painfully than anyone else would._" There was a buzz of silence, everyone tense at the threat they knew their leader would carry out. "_Dismissed._"

_**xXx**_

_Dun dun dunn! :)_

_Nothing much to say; just review! :D_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	27. The Aussie Way

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess; she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE!!!! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

I sighed and scratched my fingers through my hair, looking outside. Sitting on the front porch the next morning, the day after Greiger was killed; I began to think about what was going to happen today. Hunting these Skulls is the only way to end this sick, twisted game. Being up even before the sun was something I hardly ever do but today I found that it was something I couldn't _not _do. Just then slim arms wound around my neck, a head resting on my back.

"Are you sure you want to go by yourself?" Alexis whispered softly.

I nodded and reached up, squeezing her hands with one of mine. "Yes; these Skulls are craftier than we first anticipated. They managed to kill Greiger right in front of Yusei." I turned my head around so I could look into her eyes. "They'd do the same thing to me in a heartbeat."

She frowned but nodded, resting her chin on my shoulder. "You're the leader, this is your plan." She turned her head, resting the side of it on my shoulder so she could look at me. "Just don't get yourself killed, okay?"

I smiled softly. "That's a good idea. Why didn't I think of that?"

She smiled, just the slight turn of the lips, before it was gone again. Her eyes clouded a little in sadness and I frowned. "Come here," I said, turning around just enough to wrap my arms around her waist and pull her into my lap. She let out a soft gasp in surprise but soon curled into my chest, hand clutching the front of my shirt.

"I don't like your plan," she whispered.

I nodded and rested my chin on the crown of her head. "Yes, I know."

"And I don't like that you are going alone again." Her hand tightened.

I nodded again. "Yes, I know."

"And I don't like that Jesse, Jim, and Julie are going out by themselves again too." She turned her head, pressing her face into my shoulder.

"Yes, I know." I brushed my lips over the top of her head gently.

She pulled away enough to look me in the eye. "Is that all you can say? 'Yes, I know.'?"

I frowned and looked down, rubbing my hand up and down her arm absentmindedly. "Alexis, there are just some things that we need to do by ourselves, no matter how dangerous that may be."

"But look at what happened to Marik when he thought he could do it by himself."

I nodded mutely, remembering the horrific scene that Atem and the other Pyramids had described for us after the death of their fifth member Marik Ishtar. "Yes, but even if I went with Jim and Julie and Jesse went together, once we were out in the city we'd end up splitting up."

"Why?"

I looked up, placing my hand on her cheek, thumb rubbing beneath her eye. She looked ready to cry. "Because we each have our own ghosts to kill."

"That's stupid!" The tears I feared would appear did then, spilling over just as quickly.

I quickly rubbing them away with my thumb but they appeared quickly. "Alexis," I said, pulling her to me, "this is something that I can't explain to you. Axel was Jim's best friend and Viper killed him. Emmy was the same to Julie and Camula killed her, not twenty feet from us. And Jesse"-I hesitated a moment-"Giese has been haunting Jesse forever; I can't let anyone else be the one to kill any of those Skulls but the three of them."

"And you?" she whispered, hand clutching and releasing the front of my shirt repeatedly.

"Their leader has done too much just to get to me for me to allow anyone else to take him out."

"So this is just a game of vendettas." It wasn't a question but an accurate observation.

"Yes."

"But this whole thing started because of a stupid vendetta and that war last year that killed Mark and Maria was another war started by the stupid need for revenge."

I tightened my arms around her, holding her tightly against me. "Yes, revenge is a stupid need but it _is _a need, like food and water."

She shook her head, burying her face in the crook of my neck. "You can't compare revenge to food and water."

"Spoken like someone who hasn't felt the consuming pull for revenge." I pushed her away, tilting her head back so I could look in her tear-rimmed eyes. "Don't you see, Alexis? These are things that we _need _to do, even if the very reason we need to do them was caused by another persons need for revenge."

She sniffed and rubbed her nose, grinding the heels of her hands against her eyes. "No, I don't see!"

I smiled. "That's because you have your hands in front of your eyes, silly."

She let out a startled laugh, shaking her head and dropping her hands. "Idiot," she murmured, smiling slightly.

I chuckled and brushed her hair out of her face with my fingertips. "We'll be okay, Alexis. We want to kill our own ghosts or avenge those killed, same as the ones who we're after, but we also have something that they don't."

She looked at me confused. "And what's that?"

I smiled and looked into her eyes. "We have people back home who we're not going to leave."

She flushed a little, shaking her head quickly, leaning up to bury her head beneath my chin. "Cheater, saying something like that and making me actually understand everything."

I chuckled again and hugged her tightly. "Then we're even after what happened yesterday."

She smiled against my throat and curled more into my chest, sighing softly. "Okay."

I turned my head slightly and pressed my cheek against the top of her head, turning my eyes down to look at her hands. She had reached for one of mine, taking it and playing with it. I smiled and pushed my fingers back against hers. She giggled and relaxed a little, just watching my hand. I turned it around, taking the fingers of her opposite hand and linking our fingers together.

The Skulls wouldn't take me out, no matter how hard they tried. Alexis was my reason, my one reason why I keep fighting. She's too much to lose; something I never intend to do.

_**xXx**_

"Let me guess: you haven't changed your mind about your plan?" Blair said arms folded across her chest as she watched us getting ready to leave.

I sighed and looked at her. "No, Blair, I haven't changed my mind and I won't change my mind." I looked down at my shoes, tightening the laces with a little too much force. "Besides, I thought I said if you don't like it then that's just too bad 'cause I'm not changing it."

She stamped her foot on the ground. "That's not fair, Jaden!"

"He doesn't have to be fair, Shelia. He's the leader," Jim said, placing a firm hand on Blair's shoulder.

She scowled at him.

"You guys wouldn't be able to do much against the Skulls anyway," Jack said, testing the tip of his knife with the tip of his finger.

"Why do you guys all assume we're weaklings?" Chazz demanded, sounding annoyed.

Jesse raised his hands in a calming manner. "Calm down, Chazz. None of us assume you're weaklings."

"Speak for yourself," Jack muttered, sharpening the tip of his knife. Akiza threw her elbow into his stomach, hissing something mean at him.

"Isn't there some way we can help you?" Syrus asked, looking at me pleadingly.

I smiled at him. "Not in the way you guys are hoping. The fact remains that these Skulls are deadly, dangerous, and playing for keeps."

"We don't mind," Hassleberry said.

I frowned. "But _I _mind and that's all that matters."

Blair pointed at Alexis. "But you took Alexis with you yesterday!"

I looked at Alexis; she was standing next to me with her hands folded behind her back. "No, I didn't take her with me." I looked at Blair. "She followed me." I gave Alexis a look, but she just smiled at me.

"So that's it? You're not letting any of us come?" Atticus said.

I nodded. "Afraid so. You guys can help Yugi, just like Bastion."

Bastion has been helping Yugi create profiles on the remaining Skulls, then taking that and hypothesizing where they will most likely be based on their personalities. Bastion sounds hopeful that it will work, as does Yugi. Truthfully, it's all German to me.

"That's probably best," Atem said.

Chazz made a face. "You take your girlfriend with you and you let Phoenix go out without _you _and you just expect the rest of us to stay here?" He glared at me. "What am I? A freaking homemaker?"

"Home_wrecker's_ more like it," Aster said.

Chazz shot him a nasty look. "Watch it!"

"Enough!" I snarled, slamming a book down on the makeshift coffee table. Everyone in the room jumped. I glared at Chazz. "No, Chazz, I don't think you're a freaking homemaker. Kung-fu training or not, I will not allow any of you guys to throw your lives away over the Skulls and that's final." I stood up straight and looked at my hand, clenching it into a tight fist. "I've got enough blood on my hands already and too many lives at stake." I glared at the gang, who were all avoiding eye contact with me. "I won't allow you guys to join that!"

Alexis placed her hand on my fist, forcing my fingers open so she could lace her fingers with mine, squeezing my hand reassuringly.

I squelched the urge to pull away but kept my eyes away from her. "You guys don't understand the dangers involved in this war; if you haven't realized that th3e Skulls are a million times worse than the Cribs then you must be blind." I looked up and around at my friends, whose gazes were kept away from me. "I have enough people to worry about. Why do you guys have to fight with me when I'm only trying to keep you safe?"

Syrus looked at me but quickly looked away, stammering, "We just want to feel useful, Jay. You let Aster go out to fight Sartorius."

"You guys can't keep bringing that up as an argument!" Aster snapped suddenly, glaring at Syrus. "Sartorius was a man I had to fight, a ghost _I _had to kill. You guys don't have anyone like that."

Everyone looked away from Aster, almost in an ashamed way; his words had hit home.

"Jaden and Aster are right," Jim said, stepping into the room. "You guys just need to stay here and help Yugi or somethin'."

For once no one argued. I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding and pulled my hand away from Lex. "Let's get moving," I said, looking back at everyone, "And remember, pair or no pair vendetta or no vendetta, don't be stupid."

Yusei clapped me on the shoulder, squeezing it tightly. "Let's take our own advice to heart before trying to force feed it to others."

I shrugged him off, ignoring his warning and headed for the door.

"Don't worry, Yusei," Jesse said from behind me. "Someone running to help Jaden would only get in the way."

_You got that right, _I thought, slamming open the door and running out of the house. The last thing I needed today was Alexis deciding to follow me again.

_**xXx**_

_**Narrative POV**_

"How you holding up, Mate?" Jim asked into the walkie-talkie in his hand.

'_What do you mean?_' Jesse's voice asked from the small box.

"You know exactly what I mean." Jim's eyes quickly scanned the crowded sidewalks. People gave him funny looks but quickly looked away in fear, seeing his scarred face, black attire, bandaged eyes, and-most importantly-the crocodile snarling on his back.

Jesse sighed, '_I'm fine. In fact, I'm almost eager to face Giese._' Even Jim, through the walkie-talkie, could tell he was lying.

"You're scared stiff, aren't you?"

Jesse hesitated. "Yes," he finally admitted, "but not just for me."

"Julie." Jim didn't need to think about it.

'_How many brushes with death does she have to have before she's out of second chances?_'

"You know that she doesn't think about the past or, at least, tries not to." Jim turned the corner onto a desolate street. He kept his eyes open, resting his free hand lightly on his gun.

'_I know but I wish she would. And maybe also think about Maria._'

"And you." Jim paused when Shirley began to snarl softly on his back. His hand tightened around his gun.

'_Yeah._' Jesse sighed. '_Anyway I'm also worried about Jay._'

"I hear you, Mate. Even though we know him best I still think he's a bit-" Jim broke off when he heard a door slam. He spun around, gun raised, in the direction of the sound. A broken door continued to slam open and closed by the wind.

'_In over his head?_' Jesse finished.

Jim nodded. "Yeah." He lowered his gun and continued down the street, keeping his gun in a vice grip.

'_Do you think he can handle it?_'

"Do you?" Jim's ear twitched and he looked across the street to his left. A door was swinging off it's hinges.

'_Don't know. I want to think he can but there is so much on the line this time, especially for him._' Jesse waited a moment. '_Is everything all right over there, Jim?_'

"I think there's a Skull here." Jim flicked the safety of his gun off.

'_Where are you?_' Jesse spoke quickly; Jim recognized what it meant. It meant Jesse was going to pull a Jaden.

"District B, Block C, Goldenrod Street." Jim dropped down onto one knee, his visible eye trained on the now still door. He slowly shrugged Shirley's carrier off of his back, helping her get out of it. Next to the building, where Jim's eye was trained, an aluminum can skidded into the street, almost like it was kicked. Shirley, now free of her carrier, hurried into the street and grabbed the can, holding it in her mouth. She scurried back to Jim, dropping the can at his feet. He looked down and his eye hardened, knowing the warning the can was sending.

The can had a snake curled around it.

'_Wait for me, Jim. I'm about five minutes away,_' Jesse spoke suddenly, sounding a little quiet; the wind was blowing across the speaker.

"No need, Mate," Jim said, voice calm but cold. "I know exactly which skull is here." He crushed the can beneath his foot.

'_Jim! Jaden said don't be a hero!_'

"You know where I am, come and meet me." Jim snapped off his walkie-talkie before Jesse could say another thing. "Let's go, Girl," Jim said, running across the street, He could hear Shirley scurrying after him. He stopped at the corner of the building, peaking around it and into the alley. It was mostly dark, the only light coming from the slightly ajar door at the end of the alley. The door led to a rusted, metal warehouse. It seemed just like the kind of building Viper would hang out in.

"Well this defiantly feels like a trap," Jim mused, pulling his hat down over his eyes. His lips curved up in a small smirk. "But you just gotta love that rush." Jim checked his gun, making sure his clip was full, before hurrying down the alley. Shirley followed after him.

Heart pounding in his ears, Jim pushed open door, jumping in with his gun drawn. The building was brighter than he thought it was and when he looked up, he figured out why. The roof of the building had rusted away, leaving gaping holes that sunlight flitted through.

"Now I feel like a cop," Jim mused, lowering his gun when he noticed the building was completely empty.

"Do you want to be one someday, Jimmy my boy?"

Jim whirled around, gun raising, only to have it kicked out of his hand. A fist connected with his chest, causing all of Jim's air supply to vacate his lungs with a trickle of blood. The same fist left his chest only to be replaced by a metal-clad boot. Jim flew to the opposite side of the warehouse, his back smacking into a steel pillar. He grunted in pain and slumped to the floor, eye closed tightly in pain.

He coughed forcefully, rubbing the blood from his lips and chin. Wincing, he shifted to look up at the man standing opposite him, a sick smirk on his lips. Jim recognized Viper from the vivid descriptions Axel gave him during their late-night chats about their pasts. Simply remembering his now-dead African friend caused Jim to see red, the image of Viper fading slightly.

"I must say, Jim, you are dumber than you appear." Viper pulled a blade out of its sheath from his belt. "Walking right into a trap by yourself?" He tisked, running the tip of his blade along his index finger, slicing the skin slightly. Blood trickled off of the tip and landed on the ground.

"What makes you think I'm alone?" Jim snarled, forcing himself to his feet. He flinched, feeling his bruising and broken ribs.

Viper roared in laughter. "You've been spending a bit too much time 'Down Unda', Mate!" He smirked darkly, tapping his blade against his palm. "Up here we know when there is more than one person in our traps."

Jim clenched his hands into fists, his eye cold on Viper. He was baiting him; even Jaden wouldn't fall for such a crass ploy. Still, something about this ploy gave Jim an idea. Viper that he was alone but he couldn't be more mistaken.

'_You want to play with this Australian, Mate? Well, allow me to show you how me and my mates play in the Outback._' Jim cracked his neck, bouncing back on the balls of his feet.

Viper raised a curious eyebrow at him before a slow smirk crawled across his lips. "That look…you remind me of Axel." Viper's smirk stretched into a full blown twisted grin, sick and terrifying. "And soon you'll end up like him too."

Jim narrowed his good eye at him, reached up for his hat. "We'll see about that. Remember, Viper, all snakes are the same: the lowest living creature, crawling on their stomachs in their eternal shame." Jim pulled his hat off, noting Viper's sick grin gone, replaced with a bone-chilling scowl. "And you're just like them…a God-forsaken creature."

Viper launched then, snarling. Jim threw his hat then, blinding Viper momentarily. While the Snake was blinded by the hat, Jim jumped, tackling him against the far left wall. They fell through it, tumbling into a small pond. Rusted steel and polluted water filled Jim's mouth and nose, causing him to release Viper in an attempt to clear his airways. He slammed his fist against his chest, coughing forcefully.

"You…brat!" Viper appeared out of the muggy water, connecting his bruised fist with Jim's jaw. Jim slammed against the ground, water splashing up and over him, causing fresh water to fill his nose and mouth. Jim began to sit up, only to stop when he was staring down the barrel of a gun. Viper stood above him, covered in rust and dust, clothes clinging to him and dripping water. His eyes were blazing, his jaw set. "And now you die!"

Just then, as Jim swore he saw his life flash before his eyes, Viper cried out in pain. The gun slipped from his hands, disappearing in the murky water. Jim smiled and jumped to his feet. Viper tried fruitlessly to pull his leg away from Shirley, who had her jaws locked onto his shin.

"You said I was alone, but look who's truly alone." Jim grabbed Viper's arm, kneeing him forcefully in the chest. Viper sagged forward, coughing up blood. Now over his knee, Jim kicked the back of Viper's knees, causing him to stagger forward slightly. Jim took this chance to wrap his arms around Viper's neck, pulling him in a chokehold.

Viper pulled at Jim's arms, trying to open his airway. "Let go of me! Killing me won't do any good!"

Jim tightened his arms. "It will do plenty good! This is for Axel you bastard!"

With that, Jim twisted his arms, snapping Viper's neck. When his body sagged in his arms, Jim let him fall into the pond. Shirley shook her head back and forth quickly, snarling. Jim kneeled in the water, stroking the top of her head. "Atta girl, but he's dead now. I don't want you getting sick because you at some sleazy snake." He flicked the edge of her nose and she released the leg in her mouth.

Jim stood up and looked at the hole he and Viper created during their fight. As he stepped over the lifeless corpse in the pond, Jesse appeared, gun raised. Jim stood on dry land, wringing out his shirt.

Jesse looked at him, at Viper, and then at Shirley. He lowered his gun, placing in his belt. He reached down and picked up Jim's hat, dusting off the top as he approached him. "Everything good?" he asked, handing Jim his hat.

Jim took his hat and looked back at Viper. He smiled then. "Oh, yes." He pulled his hat on. "We're very good."

_**xXx**_

_Took me a long time to write this chapter and I have no idea why! BLARGH!_

_Please review! Please, please! _

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	28. Death of Pure Innocence

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess; she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE!!!! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

**Remaining Chapters (Excluding this one): 10**

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

"So Viper's dead?" I asked into my walkie-talkie, eyes scanning the streets for any sign of a Skull.

'_Yeah, he's gone for good,_' Jim said.

"Good." I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. "All right, well sense Viper's dead stick with Jesse. We don't need a Skull jumping you after you just battled with Viper."

'_Good idea. Will do,_' Jim agreed.

'_We'll head back toward the district I was in,_' Jesse joined in. '_What do you want us to do with Viper's body?_'

"What can you do?" I asked, running across the street. "You can't call the cops and you can't take it with you." I shrugged. "Just leave him. I have a feeling these Skulls are really good at clean up."

'_Yeah, you're probably right,_' Jesse agreed.

'_We'll contact you to check up in about an hour,_' Jim said.

"No need, that's when we're supposed to meet near the central park. You can explain what happened to everyone when we get there."

'_All right, see you then,_' Jesse said. Before Jaden could bid him goodbye, the talkie produced static as the line went dead. He sighed and slid it back into his pocket.

_Angelina, Sartorius, and now Viper are all dead. Still, we've lost five members. _I stopped and looked up, shielding my eyes from the sun. _And I have a feeling the next person to die won't be a Skull. _

_**xXx**_

_**Narrative POV**_

"Syrus, where are you going?" Alexis asked, raising an eyebrow at Syrus, who froze at the sound of her voice. He had his hand on the front doorknob, ready to leave. At hearing Alexis' question, the rest of the gang appeared, looking to Syrus for an explanation.

"Well, you see, I need to pick something up from the Precious Metals Corner Mart." His face was bright red.

"That's three blocks away from here!" Blair exclaimed.

Syrus' face grew brighter as he stammered, "We-well it's the only store that carries what I ne-need."

"And what is it you need?" Akiza asked, folding her arms across her chest. Syrus dropped his gaze to the floor, scuffing the floor with the toes of his shoes.

"It-it's personal."

"Syrus, we can't let you leave," Yugi said, walking over to him. "The Skulls are looking for something that will get to Jaden, that's why you guys are here with me." Yugi placed his hands on Syrus' shoulders, dropping down so he could look him in the eye. "This is the only place where you're safe."

"I know that, but I really need my…personal item," Syrus whispered.

"Don't you understand that if the Skulls get you, they could use you to hurt my brother?" Jess exclaimed, speaking up for the first time in days. Tony placed a firm hand on her shoulder, keeping her from lunging on the bright red Syrus.

"I understand that, but Jaden would understand that I need this." He looked to Yugi, hoping he would understand what he was saying.

Yugi simply shook his head. "Sorry, Syrus, but I can't let you go out there; it's much too dangerous to walk the streets with Skulls after you guys."

"I'll go with him," Hassleberry offered, taking a step forward. "It will be better if we're not alone, right?"

Yugi bit his lip. "It's still too dangerous."

"How about if I go with them?" Tony offered. "I can keep an eye on them."

Yugi looked between the three. He closed his eyes tightly, squeezing the bridge of his nose. "Syrus, are you sure that you need this…personal item right away?"

"Yes," he answered.

Yugi bit his lip again but sighed, dropping his hand. "All right, go, but be careful. Go straight there and then come straight back. No back ways, no back alleys, no shortcuts. Stay in public view, understood?"

The trio nodded.

"Good, and most importantly: _stay together_."

_**xXx**_

"Are you okay, Alexis?" Akiza asked, sitting down next to her. Alexis shook her head, bouncing Maria on her lap. They were outside, sitting by the koi pond in the backyard.

"No, I don't like that Syrus, Hassleberry, and Tony are out on the town." She pulled Maria tight against her chest, smoothing her hair. "Jaden won't like that Yugi let them go."

"_I _don't like that he let them go but no one was giving him much of an argument." Akiza sighed and leaned back on her hands. "I'm pretty sure everyone here is getting sick of being here." She looked at Alexis. "Why are you here anyway?"

Alexis frowned, twirling a lock of Maria's hair around her finger. "I honestly don't know. We insisted on coming but, now that we're here, I don't think anyone knows what they can do." Alexis bit her lower lip, trying to keep it from quivering. "All we're doing is causing problems for Jaden."

Akiza moved closer then, taking Alexis hand from Maria's hair, squeezing it. "Hey, Yusei has that same problem. He has a group of friends who always insist on helping us in situations similar to this one." She smiled. "And he tries his damndest, just like Jaden, to keep them safe." Akiza brushed some hair out of Alexis' eyes. "I have a feeling that you being here is actually better on Jaden than having you guys at Duel Academy."

"What do you mean?"

Akiza sighed and dropped Alexis' hand, scooting away so they were no longer touching. "He'd be worried about you guys if you were anywhere but here. It's actually safer here for you guys. These Skulls are trying everything to get to Jaden." She looked up at Alexis, a dark look in her amber eyes. "I have a sinking feeling that the Skulls have investigated Duel Academy already. If you were there then you sure as Hell wouldn't be there now."

A sick feeling filled Alexis as Akiza's words slowly sank in. She was right of course and the truth of that made her blood run cold. "God, I never thought of that," Alexis murmured, unconsciously pulling Maria closer. The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes, both trying to understand the situation they're in.

"Yusei protects them," Akiza whispered suddenly, startling Alexis. "He's taken bullets for them and yet they still don't fully grasp the severity of the life he lives." She looked at Alexis. "You guys have seen everything with your own eyes and yet you all fought Jaden to come here. Having friends like you wanting to do everything you can to help your friend is what gives Jaden and the other's their drive."

Alexis looked away from Akiza and down at Maria. The baby looked up at her, smiling brightly. Alexis felt a soft return smile form on her lips but it quickly disappeared. "But that drive could kill them."

"And you're loyalty could kill you all." Akiza looked down at the fish. "But things like this just aren't in our control."

"You sound like you're speaking from personal experience," Alexis whispered. She noticed how Akiza tensed at her accusation. She swallowed. "Those friends that Yusei protects…have any of them…died?"

Akiza squeezed her hands into tight fists, remaining quiet for a few moments, before she sighed and looked at Alexis. "Yes."

Alexis' heart froze.

"You can't protect everyone, Alexis, and Yusei learned that the hard way."

Alexis swallowed again. "And Jaden…?"

Akiza's eyes grew dark. "I have a feeling he'll have to learn the same lesson the exact same way."

_**xXx**_

"All right, let's make this snappy," Tony said, looking around the streets. "I don't like being out in the open like this."

"You could have stayed back at Yugi's," Hassleberry said, pushing open the door to the Precious Metals Corner Mart.

Tony snorted. "Then you'd still be there too." He walked past Hassleberry.

Hassleberry rolled his eyes, looking at Syrus. "Let's go, Soldier."

Syrus nodded and he followed Hassleberry in. Just as he was about to enter the store a hand clamped down on his shoulder, pulling him back and turning him around. Syrus looked up, staring down the barrel of a gun.

Somewhere off he heard the sound of a gun being fired.

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

"Well there's only seven members left," Jack said.

"But can we kill them all before they kill the rest of us?" Kaiba asked.

"Don't talk like that, Kaiba," Atem ordered. Kaiba shot him a dirty look before casting a glance down the street.

"What now, Jaden?" Jesse asked. I sighed and looked up at everyone.

"Let's-" I began but I was cut off by the sound of my phone ringing. I sighed and held up one finger, pulling out my phone and pressing it to my ear. "Yes?"

'_JADEN!_'

It was Hassleberry, and he sounded like he was sobbing. My hand fell. "What's wrong, Hassleberry?"

'_You-you need to get to the mart on the corner of Gold and Silver Street now!_'

I looked up, seeing that was only a quick run away. "I'm almost there but why?"

'_Tony, Syrus, and I came here 'cause Syrus said he-he needed something important and said it couldn't wait._' He kept sobbing. I didn't like the feeling I was getting.

"Okay…"

'_Jaden, someone killed Syrus!_'

_**xXx**_

…_DON'T KILL ME!_

_-runs away-_

_Just review and I promise I'll update super fast!_

_-keeps running-_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	29. Enough is Finally Enough

_-hiding- Ummm…enjoy?_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess, she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

**Remaining Chapters (Excluding this one): 9**

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

I pushed pedestrians out of my way, nearly punching those who refused to move. There was a large mob outside the Precious Metals Corner Mart, where Hassleberry told me to go. My heart was pounding in my ears as I begged some unknown force for this to be some joke. But, as I broke through the mob, finally at the heart of the circle, I knew it couldn't be.

"God, no," I whispered, hardly believing what I was seeing: Syrus, lying face down in a pool of his own blood. I knew without question that he was dead.

"Oh no," Jesse whispered, appearing next to me. Slowly everyone else wormed their way to the front, growing silent at the site before them.

"Jaden!" Hassleberry exclaimed. I looked up, seeing him running toward me. Tony was following after him, looking a bit flustered.

"Hassleberry," I muttered, trying to keep calm. I kept my eyes focused on Hassleberry's tear stained face, as it was better than looking at the lifeless body of one of my closest friends.

"God, Jaden, I'm so sorry!" He choked back a sob. "I swear he was right behind me!"

I nodded, staring at him mutely. What could I say? Part of me wanted to blame him for Syrus' death, another part wanted to demand what the Hell they were doing here anyway, but I couldn't do that. It just isn't me, so I bit my tongue.

"But-but then I heard a gunshot! I swear, it only took my five seconds to find him but the guy who shot him was already gone! No one saw him!"

"Or no one wanted to admit to seeing him," Jim muttered. I noticed his hand balled into a tight fist.

Hassleberry sniffed loudly. "I've already been interrogated by the police. An EMT and CSI **(1) **are on their way here." He sniffed again. "I can't believe I let this happen!"

"It isn't your fault, Hassleberry," Jesse insisted.

He shook his head. "Of course it is!"

"Knock it off, Hassleberry," I muttered, closing my eyes.

"But-"

"Stop it!" I barked, whirling to glare at him. He jumped back in surprise. "Blaming yourself won't change a damn thing! You couldn't have stopped it! The only thing that would have been different had you been with Syrus is that you'd be dead too!" I narrowed my eyes at him. "And what good would that have done?"

His eyes fell to the sidewalk; he reached up and rubbed the tears from his eyes. "You're right," he choked out, swallowing more sobs. Everyone stood there for a moment, just absorbing everything.

"Do you guys have any idea who might have shot him?" Tony asked after a moment. I clenched my hands and shook my head, my eyes drifting unwillingly toward Syrus.

"No," I whispered.

"Giese?" Crow offered but Jesse quickly shook his head.

"No. Syrus was shot at close range; Giese is a sniper kind of guy, he prefers killing from distances." His eyes narrowed at the thought of the Skull after him. "He can't look his victims in the eye." He squeezed his eyes closed, hands balling into tight fists. "Except for me."

I gave his arm a hard squeeze, one that would leave a bruise but wasn't meant to. He simply nodded and let out a shaky breath; now was not the time for him to start acting like this.

"Jaden!"

My head snapped up at the sound of Jess' voice. She and everyone else was running toward us.

"I called them," Hassleberry whispered, probably seeing the question in my eyes. "Sorry."

I shook my head, secretly relieved. I did _not _want to be the one explaining to everyone that Syrus was killed. Everyone slowed down as they approached, gasping when they saw Syrus.

"No," Bastion whispered, covering his mouth with his hand. I looked at everyone, seeing the tears in Blair's eyes, the tight line of Chazz's lips as he tried to keep calm, the horror on Jess' face, the open-mouth expression on Atticus', and the hardening of Aster's eyes. I didn't see Alexis or Akiza. Just then a hand slipped into mine. I looked to my right, startled to see that Alexis was standing next to me. I noticed Akiza next to Yusei. Even Yugi was there, talking quietly to Atem and Joey; he was probably explaining why Syrus, Hassleberry and Tony had left the house.

"I guess I was right," I murmured softly, looking back at Syrus.

"Right?" Alexis whispered. I smiled sadly at her.

"I had a feeling that after Jim killed Viper that the next person to die wouldn't be a Skull." I looked back at Syrus, not really seeing him. "I just didn't think that the next person to die would be one of you guys."

Alexis placed her hand on my cheek, turning my face so was looking at her. She looked ready to say something when someone else spoke up.

"What the Hell is going on here?"

Every neuron in my brain fired up at the sound of that voice, a voice I recognized but couldn't believe. Slowly I turned to see someone I knew very well…once.

"Zane."

Zane Truesdale, Syrus' older brother, the once-King of Obelisk Blue and ruler of Duel Academy. He graduated Duel Academy two years ago and had been taking the Pro-League by storm when he suddenly dropped off the face of the Earth. Now he was standing not ten feet away from me, ten feet away from his brother's body, dressed in black with a dark look in his eyes.

"Jaden. What's going on?" he demanded, tone hard and cold.

I ground my teeth together and pushed Alexis away from me, against Jim, and jumped on Zane, grabbing the collar of his jacket and spinning him around, slamming him into the wall of the Corner Mart. He grunted in pain.

"Jaden!" Alexis gasped but I ignored her, keeping my eyes narrowed at Zane.

"Jesse!" Julie said. I could see him out of the corner of my eye, gun raised and pointed at Zane.

"What's going _on _here?" I tightened my hands around jacket. "What the fuck do you think is going on?"

He glared at me. "If I knew what was going on then I wouldn't be asking what's going on!"

"Don't get smart with me!" I pulled him away from the wall and slammed him against it again. His head cracked against the brick, causing him to become dazed for only a moment.

"Jaden, stop!" Alexis cried but, again, I ignored her.

"I'll tell you what's going on here! Syrus was just murdered!"

If I hadn't been practically nose-to-nose with him, I wouldn't have heard the hitch of breath in his throat, the minuscule widening of his black eyes. He even sagged slightly, as if the news of his brother's murder actually affected him.

"Murdered?"

"Yeah, murdered, by the goddamned Skulls!" I pulled him closer to my, his nose touching mine, "Your new buddies!"

There was an audible gasp behind me, more from my friends.

"What?" Bastion whispered.

Even Zane looked surprised. "My new what?"

I slammed him against the wall. "Buddies! You know? Your new buddies, amigos, friends! The sick, twisted bastards you've been spending all your time with during the past few months!"

You could just feel the tension in the air, the shock mixed with horror. Zane sagged in my grasp just slightly, but he kept cold, steel-like eyes on me. "Why do you think-?"

I cut him off. "I don't think anything! I **know**!"

He was ready to speak again but someone else did first.

"I saw you," Jesse said calmly, taking a step forward with his gun still level. "That day at Chris and Emmy's apartment. You were the Skull that drowned the apartment in gasoline. You were there, with the match in your hand, while Julie and I were there." Jesse pulled back the safety on his gun. "You tried to kill me and Julie."

"Zane," Atticus whispered, looking at him in horror. "Please tell me that isn't true." He took a step closer. "You're my best friend; tell me you aren't working with these…these sick people!"

Zane refused to look him in the eye, keeping his own on the ground.

"I can't believe you!" I snarled. "You lose one duel against Aster and you turn into a living Michael Myers!"

Zane snapped his head up. "I haven't killed a single person!"

"But you tried to burn two alive!" I tightened my hands until my knuckles were white. "Just because you didn't succeed doesn't make you a saint!"

He turned away from me.

"I can't believe you! You're brother was just _killed _by your new friends and you don't give a damn!"

He snapped his head toward me, eyes blazing. "Of course I give a damn!" He shoved against me, forcing my hands to free his jacket so he was standing. "He was my brother! Why wouldn't I care?"

"You've been hanging out with murderers for months, Zane!" I took a step toward him. "I'm not even sure who you are anymore!"

"What the Hell is that supposed to mean!"

"Look at you! You've changed all because you lost a fucking Duel!"

He shoved against me. "Look who's talking!"

I stood my ground. "What does that mean!"

"You ran away from Duel Academy just after Aster defeated you, same as me!"

I bristled. "I left because I couldn't see my damned cards! Why duel when all I'm staring at are blank card? I wouldn't even know what I'm playing!" I got right in his face. "And I didn't run off and join a fucking cult!"

"Right," Zane said, smirking. "Because you were already leading one!"

I snapped my arm out, punching Zane across the jaw. He stumbled back by the force, actually falling on the ground. He glared up at me, holding his jaw. I was fuming, clenching my hands into fists as I breathed deeply.

"Enough is enough!" I snarled. He looked away from me, almost ashamed. I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him to his feet. "These Skulls die tonight!" I shoved him against the wall, pointing at him snarling, "And if you don't tell us where they are I'll kill you right now!"

Jesse moved closer.

"I know where they are," he muttered.

"Where!" I snapped but he shook his head.

"I'll tell you when we're not in the open."

I was about to tell him that he was going to tell me where they were now if he wanted to live when I heard the sound that meant he probably wouldn't have had a choice. A gun went off and I knew it wasn't Jesse's. Zane sagged against the wall and everyone else whirled around. The civilians scattered quickly, afraid to be on the wrong side of the bullet. My friends simply moved closer to us.

"Damn it!" I cursed loudly, seeing the 'hidden shooter'.

"I got this!" Joey yelled, running across the street.

"But who's got you?" Tristan yelled after him. Joey flipped him off but jumped on the person who thought they were pretty well hidden. He knocked the gun out of their hands and flipped them out into the light.

"Josie," Crow muttered, recognized the Skull from his own days as one. The girl was dressed in black from head-to-toe; you couldn't see one square inch of skin.

"Should we be worried about Joey?" I whispered. He shook his head.

"No."

And I knew he was right. I turned back to see Joey grab a knife from his belt and stab Josie in the eye as she launched at him, her own knife in hand. She slumped immediately, her knife barely grazing Joey's chest. He pushed her off his knife with his foot, walking back to us as he whipped the blood off his knife before putting it away.

"Too easy," he said, sounding disappointed.

"She was the weakest; easily expendable," Zane said, holding his bleeding arm. Obviously Josie wasn't that good of a shot.

"And you?" I asked.

"Obviously I'm the same." He sounded like he'd known that fact all along. He looked at me, eyes blazing. "I will tell you where they are, Jaden. Just get me out of here before they send in Giese to finish what Josie couldn't."

I knew not to mess around with Giese. "Fine," I said. "Get him back to Yugi's." I spoke to Jesse, who'd began looking around with a pale expression. He nodded and put his gun away, grabbing Zane forcefully. He began yanking him toward Yugi's and everyone followed; everyone besides Alexis and me.

She grabbed my hand. "Are you okay?"

I didn't feel like lying. "No."

"Are you blaming yourself?"

"Yes."

She placed her hand on my cheek, turning my head so I was looking at her again. I stared at her with a blank expression. "Are you going to pinch me now?"

She shook her head slowly. "No." She leaned up and pressed her lips to mine softly, pulling back after only a moment. She then wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling my head down to her shoulder, and just held me. It was then that everything hit me. Tears leaked out of the corner of my eyes and my arms tightened around her waist. I buried my face in the crook of her neck and simply held onto her until I could breathe again.

When I finally pulled away, Syrus' body had already been taken away.

_**xXx**_

_Yes, Zane's a Skull and Syrus is dead._

_Yes, I am very evil._

_Please, please review!_

_-runs away…again-_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**

**1. I'm not sure if Japan has CSI, I assume they do but I don't know if that's exactly what they call them. ((CSI means Crime Scene Investigation, just in case some of you guys don't know.))**


	30. Sectors and Pairs

_Hey, guys! I'm back and my computer is alive and well! : )_

_But before I going to the new chapter this is something I really need to clear up. Just so everyone is clear on the matter (and so I don't get killed) _**_ZANE DID NOT KILL SYRUS._**_ He was __SURPRISED__ that his brother is dead, therefore he didn't kill him. Okay? And also _**_JOSIE DID NOT KILL SYRUS._**_ She can't hit the broadside of a barn, and she is a distance shooter (which is why she shot at Zane from across the street). Remember, Syrus was killed point-blank range. All right? And as for who _**_DID_**_ kill Syrus, well, that's my little surprise. You'll find out in a few chapters. )_

Anyway, enjoy the new chapter!

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess, she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

**Remaining Chapters (Excluding this one): 8**

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

"You better start explaining yourself right now, Zane," I snapped, glaring at him from across the room. Zane began wringing his hands, staring over them and at the ground. He sat on the couch, dressed in dark wash jeans and dark blue shirt. When they arrived at Yugi's, Zane changed out of his black outfit. He only did so to try and keep us calm even though he's a Skull.

"I joined the Skulls a few months back. One of them approached me and made me an offer, at the time, I couldn't refuse," he began softly.

"Who?" Jesse asked.

Zane looked at him. "Bakura."

At the sound of the name, all of the Pyramids tensed.

"Keep going. You still have a lot of explaining to do," I snarled, tapping the barrel of my gun against my palm. Okay, I really, really, _really _hoped I wasn't going to have to use it, but I needed it out to show Zane I was through messing around.

It seemed to be enough for him. "I'm the newest member but I was the most…valued one."

"Why?" Jim asked.

Zane hesitated. "They knew Jaden and I went to school together." He looked up at me. "They knew that we are." He stopped. "I mean, that we were friends. They also knew my baby brother was one of your closest friends."

"They seem to know an awful lot about you," Joey said. Zane nodded.

"That's what probably frightened me the most. There was not one fact about my life that they didn't know." He looked at me. "Where do people like them get their hands on information like that?"

"That's a good question," Crow said. "Unfortunately, when we were still members, they didn't provide that kind of knowledge to us."

Zane nodded. "I know. Still, I joined them and I'm not quite sure if it was out of fear or something else."

"Listen, Zane, this is all very fascinating but let's skip over this tear-jerking tale of your problems and skip right to the good stuff." Tristan slammed his fist on the brand-new coffee table, getting right into Zane's face. "Where are the other Skulls hiding?"

Zane looked up at him. "That's the trick, they aren't hiding."

"If they aren't hiding then what are they doing?" Akiza asked.

"Hunting."

Everyone remained silent, looking around at each other.

"Each Skull was given an objective target." Zane looked at me and then at everyone else. "You guys aren't hunting them, they're hunting you, and there isn't a damn thing you can do to change that."

The worst feeling filled me. I knew that Zane was right. We were out there trying to find these Skulls so we could take them out before they strike again and we're the real victims. Just when I think we have the upper hand, just when I think we can get the jump on them, information like this always set's me back ten paces.

"Do you know who each Skull was assigned to?" Kaiba asked. Zane nodded slowly.

"They aren't hidden secrets, each Skull knew everyone else's objective. It was so we don't step on each other's toes." He looked at Kaiba. "In the Skulls, you don't take out someone else's objective unless you want to die yourself."

"Who was assigned to whom, Zane?" Yusei asked.

"Viper was assigned to Axel and once he killed Axel he was assigned to Jim."

"And now he won't be assigned to anyone else because the fucker's dead," Jim snarled. Zane flinched slightly.

"Well." He cleared his throat. "Camula was assigned to Emmy and now she…she's assigned to Julie." He looked up at said target, who was bouncing her baby girl on her hip.

"Whoopee, my target is after me." She smirked slightly, which caused Jesse to frown. I noticed that he moved closer to her, arm curling around her waist.

"Giese was assigned to Jesse."

"He wouldn't have it any other way," Jesse whispered. He tried to look calm but it was kind of hard to keep convincing when all blood drained from his face.

"Kalin was assigned to Yusei and Bakura was assigned to Atem." He paused and then shook his head. "Actually that's wrong. Kalin was assigned any and all Signers while Bakura was assigned the same except only with the Pyramids."

"That sounds about right with Kalin but," Jack looked at Joey "did you guys do something to Bakura?"

"You mean aside from regularly kicking his ass?" Joey asked, smirking. Jack just sighed and shook his head.

"What about Onii-Chan?" Jess asked, looking at Zane. He looked at her and then at me.

"Jaden's the lucky winner. The leader of the Skulls has taken it upon himself to end your life."

Everyone looked at me, slightly horrified, but I wasn't surprised in the least. "Surprise, surprise," I said.

"You don't sound surprised," Tony said. I shrugged, closing my eyes.

"A guy who goes to extravagant lengths to torture me wouldn't let someone else actually kill me." I shook my head and opened my eyes, looking right at Tony. "That just doesn't make any sense."

"Jaden, you should take the leader very seriously," Zane warned.

"No, he's going to treat it like a fucking game!" Kaiba and Jack barked at the same time, only to smacked by their respective leaders.

"You don't understand. The leader of the Skulls is a very throe man. No one has ever seen his face."

"Wait, what about Bakura and Kalin?" Blair asked. Zane shook his head.

"They've never met him face to face, none of us have. He gives orders once a week, always at the same time via phone."

"If you've never met him than how do you know that he's really dangerous; that he'll really kill you guys if you disobey him?" Atticus asked. Zane closed his eyes, almost looking weary.

"All you need to do is hear his voice, Atticus." He looked at him. "You'd know in a millisecond that he'd kill you without hesitation." He let out a shaking breath. "You have no idea what he's like. He's a monster with one thing on his mind." He looked up at me. "And that's your death."

Everyone remained quiet, absorbing this information.

"So," I broke the silence "The people we've been hunting have been hunting us this entire time, right?"

He nodded.

"Then why haven't they already killed us all?"

Zane shook his head. "I don't know why. Maybe it's all part of his real plan to get to you! I told you, Jaden, I know very little. Josie, Angelina, and I were brought in as collateral, just three extra members to intimidate you. Sartorius, Camula, Viper, all of them had real issues with you guys! They are the _only _ones the leader cares about." Zane clenched his hands around the edge of the couch. "I mean next to nothing to him!"

"All right, Zane, we get it." I held my hands up. "Calm down, we'll figure something out." I sighed and turned my back on everyone, looking out the window.

"Jaden," Zane called after a minute. "There's something else you should know."

"Oh?" I spoke without turning around. "What's that?"

"Everyone was giving another objective to their own personal ones."

I turned slowly, looking at him with narrowed eyes. I did _not _like the way he was speaking. "And what is that?"

He didn't answer, he only looked to his left with his eyes, just a quick jerk that only I noticed.

He looked at Alexis.

I closed my eyes tightly, clenching my hands into fists. "Of course, of course, now everything is slowly making sense."

"Mind enlightening us, Mate?" Jim asked.

"What is their other objective?" Julie asked. I quickly shook my head.

"Doesn't matter, I've got a new plan."

_**xXx**_

"Okay, what is all of this supposed to mean?" Crow asked, looking at me confused. I had a map of Domino City laid out on the coffee table, a marker in my hand.

"This plan of mine is the same as before, only different," I explained. Chazz looked at me.

"And tomorrow is going to be just like today, only different."

Blair elbowed him but I smiled softly.

"What's different, Mate?" Jim asked, pressing an ice pack against his chest.

"No one is alone, fuck that." I looked at Julie and Jesse pointedly. Julie stuck her tongue out at me, bouncing Maria in her arms. "Pairs, period." I looked at everyone, setting the marker down. "Jim and Jesse will go together, Yusei and Akiza will go out as well." I looked at her. "Do you feel up do it?"

She nodded. "Bring it on."

I nodded and reached over the table and grabbed Alexis' wrist, tugging her to her feet. She gasped as I pulled her next to me, wrapping my arm around her waist. I was still bent over, looking at the map. "And Alexis is sticking with me." I saw the surprise on everyone's faces but they didn't say a word. If I was willing to take Alexis with me then they knew something was seriously wrong.

"And what about Julie?" Atticus asked after a moment.

_Shit,_ I thought, realizing I hadn't planned that far ahead.

"I'll go with her," Tony offered, stepping forward.

"What, fuck no!" Jesse exclaimed. Julie looked at him confused but I simply sighed. Tony and I weren't exactly 'friends' but he could handle something like this; Jess told me a few stories about Tony.

"Listen, Jesse, we're going to have to let this happen. Julie can't go by herself, period, and Tony can handle himself," I explained. He frowned at me.

Julie patted his check. "Relax, Babe, I'll be fine."

He relinquished with a sigh. "Fine, whatever."

I nodded and bent back over the map, taking the marker and drawing seven circles on the map, writing each pair's initials. "Each pair will be given a district. If what Zane said is true than our friends will follow our lead." I stood up straight, capping and dropping the marker onto the table, looking up at everyone. "Doesn't matter if a Skull is after you or not, there's no telling what they could try to pull."

Everyone nodded.

"And pair or no pair, don't be stupid." I looked at Jim, who just smirked. "Call for help; everyone stay on the same wavelength to keep things simple." I switched my wavelength and everyone else did the same. "We'll meet up in the central park in an hour." I looked up at everyone. "Don't be late." I looked at Yugi then. "No one leaves, Yugi."

He frowned and nodded. "I'm really sorry, Jaden."

I nodded. "I know, Yugi. It isn't your fault. Syrus knew the risks yet he took the chance. He signed his own fate the second he stepped out that door." I swallowed against the lump in my throat, clearing it when it wouldn't go away. Everyone remained silent as I tried to compose myself.

I cleared my throat loudly and looked up at everyone. "These Skulls die today; let's move."

_**xXx**_

_Not quite sure about this one. –sigh-_

_Anyway, please, please, please __**review!**_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	31. Julie the Vampire Slayer

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess, she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

**Remaining Chapters (Excluding this one): 7**

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

"Jaden," Alexis called softly. I looked at her confused. We had been walking around for about an hour. I wasn't sure what we were doing exactly, sense the Skulls are hunting us, not us hunting them.

"What is it?" I whispered, looking back ahead of us.

"Hey, don't look away from me." She stopped, placing her hand on my cheek and turning me toward her; her expression was worried. "Tell me what's wrong."

I was so sick of lying, so sick of everything. I sagged slightly, closing my eyes. "Everything. Everything is wrong, Lex."

She stroked my cheek softly with her fingertips, pressing her other hand against my other cheek, whispering, "What do you mean?"

Slowly I opened my eyes. "I've never felt so helpless, Alexis. No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, something always ends up going completely wrong." I closed my eyes again, feeling a million years old. "How did Mark do this for so long? I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"Hey, Mark left _you _in charge, didn't he?"

"Yeah, but he did because he thought all of this was over!" I spun around, breaking away from her. I kept my eyes together tightly, hands balled into tight fists at my sides. "Everything is going **wrong**! People keep dying around me, people I care about! No matter how hard I try, they just keep dying!" I collapsed to my knees, burring my face in my hands as I tried to keep my composure, even though my chest felt so tight that I couldn't even breathe. "I can't do this anymore!"

"Jaden," Alexis whispered. I felt her place her hands on my shoulders as she dropped to her knees in front of me; she pulled me toward her so she could hold me. "I don't know what I can do."

I shook my head and removed my hands from my face, reaching to take hers instead; I held both of hers between both of mine. "There isn't anything you can do. No one can do anything." I shook my head. "Even with the Pyramids and the Signers I still feel completely helpless. Nothing's going my way."

"I know, but Mark left you in charge, even if he thought this was all over." Alexis tilted my chin up with one of her hands she freed from mine. "You're doing the best you can, Jaden, better than anyone else could. Jesse can't do this, Julie can't do this, Jim can't do this, Atem can't do this, Yusei can't do this, and _Mark can't do this._" Her hand tightened around my chin. "You're the only one here that can. You can't keep this up. Everyone is counting on you, looking up to you. They all need you, Jaden. And you're no good to anyone like this."

"I feel like I'm no good to anyone at all." I tried to turn my face away from Alexis but she refused to let me. "Syrus is dead and I couldn't do anything!"

"Don't. Jaden, everyone here still needs you."

"SYRUS NEEDED ME!" Finally I was able to jerk away from her, standing up quickly and walking a few steps away from her. "Damn it, Alexis, he _needed _me and I wasn't there! I was two blocks away, I could have been there, I could have done something. I should have done something!"

Alexis grabbed my arm and jerked me back around, grabbing my face tightly between her hands. "Stop this right now, Jaden. Don't you see what you're doing to yourself? You're going to end up killing yourself unless you can understand that what happened has happened. Playing this 'what if' game isn't going to change a damn thing!" Her hands tightened around my face. "Yes, Jaden, Syrus is dead, but there are plenty of people who are still alive and still need you."

I closed my eyes, surrendering. "Yes, you're right." I opened my eyes and looked into hers. "But why Syrus, Alexis? Why him? If there was any person in this world who didn't deserve to die like that it was him, so why did he?"

She shook her head softly, tears leaking out of the corner of her eyes. "I don't know." Her voice was soft, clogged with tears. "I wish I did, Jaden, but I don't know why. All I know is that it happened and if you keep going on like this then it will happen to you too."

I took a deep breath through my nose, leaning forward to press my forehead against hers. "Okay, you win." I nodded slightly, letting out my breath. "And right, you're exactly right." I pulled her hands away from my face, holding each of them in each of mine. "Do you remember what I said before we left Duel Academy?" I looked at her.

She shook her head. "No."

"I said that I couldn't lose you." I pressed my lips to each of her hands. "And after what happened to Syrus…" I broke, releasing a shaky breath. "I realized just how true that statement." I looked deep into her eyes. "I _cannot _lose you, Lex. I simply wouldn't survive."

Her breath caught in her throat. "Jaden-"

"No." I cut her off, pressing my lips to hers tightly. I can't lose Alexis, and I won't.

Bring it on, Skulls. You wanted a war, you've officially got one.

_**xXx**_

_**Narrative POV**_

"So tell me, Tony, why did you suddenly decide to place yourself on the frontline?" Julie looked at Tony, curiously. The two of them were walking down the streets, eyes quietly scanning the area.

"I messed up with Syrus. Excuse me for trying to make up for it." Tony sounded annoyed. Julie stopped walking, further grating Tony's nerves. He stopped and glared at her. "What?"

"If there's one thing I know about you Tony it's that you don't try to make up for anything." She took a step toward him, getting on her toes to look right into his eyes. "Just what the hell are you up to?"

Tony ground his teeth together. "What the hell is up with **you**?" He leaned toward her, forcing her to back down. "Everyone else seems to trust me, except for you."

"I've been fooled before, Tony. My trust is earned, not given out." She turned on her heel and started to walk away.

Tony caught her arm, jerking her back. "And what do I have to do to earn your trust?" His temper was visibly thin.

Julie gave him a cool look. "Nothing." She jerked her arm free and kept walking. Tony stood back there, fuming. She stopped and called over her shoulder, "Come along, Tony. I'm not waiting all day for you."

He ground his teeth together but hurried to catch up with her. "I'll get your trust, Julie."

"Good luck with that. The last person who said that is still trying to get it." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. Tony simply glared at her, annoyed beyond belief. This girl was the only person who could grate his nerves this way. The only reason he volunteered to come along with her was so he could help his brother who was on the verge of a mental and emotional breakdown. The least she could do is at least fake like she appreciated it.

The two of them continued to walk, scanning the streets, for a few minutes longer. Julie remained cool and silent while Tony kept grinding his teeth. Finally, the silence taking it's final on him, he said, "Listen, Julie, there's something we need to hash out if we're going to continue working together like this."

Julie looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, really? And what exactly is that?"

"Julie-"

She slapped his chest, pressing a finger to her lips when he looked ready to scream at her. "Hold that thought." Slowly, she turned around, eyes narrowed as she scanned the streets.

"What is it?" Tony placed a hand on her shoulder, fingers tightening when she tried to jerk away. "Don't ignore me!" he snarled.

"Camula," she whispered, hands curling into fists. Tony's head snapped up and he looked around but couldn't find the green haired skull.

"I don't see her."

Julie shook her head. "Neither do I."

Tony glared at her. "Damn it, Julie! Don't play games with me!"

Julie slapped her hand over his mouth, jerking his face down so she could glare at him. "Shut up! You're going to make her run!"

"She's not even here!" he barked, voice muffled by her hand. She pulled his face closer to hers.

"She's behind you," she whispered. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. Slowly he turned around, expecting to see a blood-thirsty, but was met with nothing.

He whirled around, ripping Julie's hand from his mouth. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack!"

Julie punched him in the stomach, wrapping her other arm around his neck when he doppled forward. She kicked his ligs out underneath him and pulled him to the ground. Just as they hit the ground, a knife imbedded itself in the sidewalk just a foot away fromhis face. Had Julie not forced him to the ground when she did, that knife would be in _him_.

"I suppose you'd like a thank you," he wheezed, as the breath had been knocked out of him.

She rolled her eyes and patted his cheek. "You're welcome." She jumped up and pulled him to his feet. They turned around just in time to see green hair flying around the corner. Without missing a beat, Julie took off. Tony was right on her heels.

"She's heading toward the abandoned residential district!" Tony yelled. Julie nodded. Both of them could see Camula only a dozen feet away from them. Julie grabbed Tony's arm and pulled him to a stop. He looked at her confused but she spoke before he could.

"Cut through those Alley's over there and cut her off outside of the St. Paul Church on the Corner of Grace and Plymoth. She ripped his walkie off of hi8s belt and thrust it into his hands. "Contact the others and let them know what's going on."

"You know I don't like being bossed around," he said slowly, refusing to take back his talkie.

"Tony!"

He sighed and took the talkie. "Fine, but be careful. Something tells me Camula isn't hunting you by herself."

Julie nodded. "I've had that feeling ever since we left the house."

Tony's eyebrows drew together in a worried scowl but he hurried down the alleys Julie pointed out, playing with his walkie-talkie. Julie watched him until he was out of site. Once she could no longer see him, Julie took a deep breath and grabbed her own walkie-talkie from her belt.

"Sorry, guys," she whispered, staring down at it. She let out her breath and then threw her talkie as far as she could. "But you guys will only get in my way." Of course she knew she was being stupid and once Jesse found out what she did then she'd be in some serious trouble. But that was the least of her worries. Right now all that mattered was catching the green-haired bitch that killed her best friend.

Julie turned around quickly and began running down the street, in the direction that Camula had run. Once she rounded the corner of the dead-end road, Julie slowed to a walk, body tense as she strained to hear any sign of the vampire mistress.

"There aren't many places for her to hide," Julie murmured, looking around the barren and broken down streets and buildings.

"Who says I'm hiding?"

Julie whirled around just in time to be tackled to the ground. She and her assailant slammed against the cool, grating pavement, sliding across the road before coming to a rough stop. Julie gasped for breath as she stared up into the murderous eyes of the bloodthirsty vampire before her.

"Camula," she wheezed, the breath knocked out of her.

The vampire smiled. "Julie." Camula opened her mouth wide, incisors glistening with her intent. Julie ground her teeth together and slammed her head forward, her forehead colliding with Camula's. The vampire became disoriented, enough for Julie to force her off. Camula rolled a few feet, trying to get her bearings as Julie stood up, shaking away the dizziness.

"You sent your backup away," Camula said, standing up slowly. "What a foolish thing to do."

Julie glared at her. "Foolish how?"

"My dear, now you are all alone. Your backup is running for help in the opposite direction of here, you've abandoned your friends, and you're all alone." Camula smiled wickedly. "So now no one will hear your screams!" She launched herself at Julie, who jumped out of the way, tumbling until she was able to stop in a crouched position.

"You think it's foolish? I think it's smart." Julie stood up, staring at the murderous fiend before her. "Now no one will get in my way while I kill you."

"Just try it my dear. You won't even get close."

"We'll see about that." Julie ducked her head and tackled Camula to the ground. The pair rolled back across the street, hands barely leaving the other as they fought. Eventually they rolled to the stoops of St. Paul's Church, Julie on top. She leaned back and punched Camula square in the face, causing her head to snap back against the sidewalk. She moaned in pain but quickly regained her composure, reaching up to dig her nails into Julie's shoulder, drawing blood.

"Bitch!" she yelled, forcing Julie off of her while forcibly ripping her fingers from her shoulders. Julie slammed against the ground, crying out in pain. Camula scrambled to her feet. Julie looked up at Camula and kicked her in the knee. The force of Julie's kick caused her knee to bend in the opposite direction. Camula cried out in pain, collapsing against the steps of the church. Julie rolled onto her back and jumped to her feet, ripping her gun from where she had it hidden. "Wait!" Camula yelled as Julie pointed the gun at her.

"I've waited long enough!" Julie turned off the safety, gun aimed at Camula.

"But I can help you!" Camula was scrambling backwards up the steps the church. Julie reached forward and grabbed the bottom her dress, yanking her back down the steps. She leaned forward and pressed the gun right to Camula's chest, where her heart would be.

"You can't help me or yourself!"

"But I'm not like the other Skulls!" Camula tried to roll away from Julie, but was stopped when Julie crushed her chest with her knee, pinning her in place.

"You're exactly like them if not worse!"

"But I know who the leader is!"

Julie froze, wavering. Camula took this as a chance to try and explain her way into Julie's favor, and to hopefully save her life. "He took favor in me! He personally saved me from the shadows!"

"What shadows?" Julie's voice was hard but she hadn't tried to pull the trigger of her gun. In fact, she removed her finger from the trigger, but only slightly.

"The shadows that consumed me after I lost my duel to your leader! The shadows that I sacrificed my very soul to!"

"You don't have a soul." Her finger returned to the trigger.

"Wait!" Camula grabbed Julie's hand but released it when she felt it go instantly rigid. "I can tell you who the leader is! Just spare my life!"

Julie stared into Camula's very frightened eyes. This person she had pinned against the stone steps of the St. Paul's Church killed her best friend without batting an eye; she tried to kill her and Jesse. So why did she hesitate? All because she could tell her who the leader was?

'_She's lying!_' Julie narrowed her eyes and saw pure terror in the ones she stared at. Even if she was lying, the mere chance that they could know who the leader was…Julie would be an idiot if she let even the slightest hint at his true identity slip through her fingers, even if she had to spare the very person who murdered her best friend.

"Tell me who he is and maybe I'll spare you!" Julie spat, her free hand clutching Camula's dress.

"He's-" Camula began but she wasn't able to continue. Suddenly a gun was fired, right next to Julie's ear. She flinched away from the gun but was suddenly knocked on the back of her head at the base of her skull. She saw stars as she fell backwards off the steps. She groaned at the bottom of the steps, trying to figure out what just happened. Through the slits of her eyes, she saw blood running down the steps of the church, Camula's blood.

"But I didn't…" Julie muttered, trying to figure out what was going on.

"No, I did."

Hands wound their way into Julie's hair, yanking her up and jerking her head back. A gun was pressed to the center of her forehead. Though disoriented, Julie stared right up at the man before her.

The leader of the Skulls.

Julie gasped. "You!"

The man smiled. "Yes, me."

Off in the distance, Julie heard someone calling her name. '_Tony…!_'

And the leader pulled the trigger.

_**xXx**_

_This. Took. FOREVER! X.X_

_Please, please, PLEASE review!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	32. Breath

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess, she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

**Remaining Chapters (Excluding this one): 6**

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

"Okay, it's been ten minutes. Where are they?" Jim said, looking around annoyed. I sighed and looked up from my place on the bench.

"Calm down, Jim, and just try to reach them." 'Them' being Julie and Tony. Everyone was supposed meet at the central park an hour after we left the house. Of course everyone showed up, except for Julie and Tony.

"We've _been _trying, Jay. We just can't get through," Joey said, holding up his walkie-talkie as if to prove he was right. I frowned and leaned forward, lacing my fingers in front of my face just below my nose.

"Has anyone heard from either of them?" I looked around, chest tightening as everyone shook their head.

"If this is any help, there was a lot of static about twenty minutes ago, as if someone was trying to get a hold of us but couldn't." Tristan said. I rubbed both of my hands over my face and looked at Jesse; he was chewing lightly on his thumbnail. Alexis placed her hand on my knee, squeezing gently.

"Did you try to get through after you heard the static?" I asked.

Tristan nodded. "Of course, but I got diddly."

I sighed again and stood up, rubbing the back of my neck. Everyone watched me as I paced back and forth for a moment. I took a deep breath and pulled my walkie-talkie.

"Okay, I'll try one more time and if I don't get a hold of either of them we're going to look for them." I looked up to see everyone nodding, watching me closely. I flipped through a couple of wavelengths, just making sure that they hadn't accidently changed the one they were on. When nothing happened, I went back to the wavelength we were all originally on. Once I was there, a voice started screaming through the speaker before I could.

"_JADEN!_"

"Tony!" I yelled back. Everyone's heads snapped in my direction. "Where are you and Julie?"

"_Well…you see Little Brother, we found Camula._"

Everyone shared wide eyed looks.

"Okay…that doesn't really answer my question."

"_Okay, well, Julie and I separated to try and cut her off. I ran around while Julie followed after her. While I was running around, I was supposed to get a hold of you guys._"

"So why didn't you?"

"_I tried! But the damn talkie wasn't working and all I got was static!_"

"Fine, whatever." I sighed. "But where are you and Julie?"

Tony remained quiet.

"Tony?"

"_I realized after a few minutes of running that Julie told me to run in the __**opposite direction **__that Camula was._"

"So?"

"_Let me finish. When I figured it out, I quickly turned around and found the area that Julie and Camula ran. But, when I got there…_" He broke off, hesitating in a way he's never hesitated before. Something cold clutched at me.

"Finish, Tony."

"_I was too late._"

There was an audible gasp around me but I quickly shot my hand up to silence everyone. "What do you mean?" '_Please, Tony, don't mean what I think you mean._'

"_You know exactly what I mean. I arrived at St. Paul's Church in the abandoned housing district and found them…Camula and Julie. Camula was sprawled on the steps, blood dripping down the steps from the bullet in her chest…her heart._"

"I don't give a **damn** about that vampire, Tony. _Where is Julie!_" My temper was too razor thin. Alexis grabbed my arm, squeezing it lightly to keep me from doing something I would most likely regret later.

"_She was lying at the bottom of the steps, slumped on her side on the ground._" He hesitated again, but only for the briefest of moments. "_There was a bullet in her head._"

I dropped my talkie, but not out of shock. I dropped it so I could catch Jesse as his knees gave out beneath him. Jim grabbed his other arm. "Jesse!" I said, pulling him up to his feet. There was a wide-eyed horror look on his face, and I couldn't blame him. I looked over at my talkie, seeing Atem bending down to pick it up.

"Tony, are you still at the church?"

"_Yeah._"

"Good, stay there. We'll be there in a minute." Atem looked at me, hand extended with my walkie-talkie. "Let's get going."

I grabbed my talkie, nodding. "Right." I looked at Jim and he nodded at me, taking full control over Jesse. I grabbed Alexis' hand and we all rushed to the abandoned housing district, where the rundown St. Paul's Church was located. It was only minutes away, causing an unsettling feeling to coil in my gut. If Julie really was dead, then two people I cared deeply about would have been murdered within minutes of where I was.

…

Something told me that this time I wouldn't be able to survive the guilt.

"There!" Crow yelled as he pointed out the large church we were approaching. Sure enough, Tony was standing there, looking at us as we quickly approached. And, as he said, Julie laid at his feet, blood pooled around her. Whether it was all from her or from Camula I couldn't tell.

"Julie!" Jesse tore himself away from Jim and rushed over to the church, the rest of us hot on his heels. He rushed over to Julie, rolling her onto her back and into his arms. He pressed his hand to her cheek, rolling her head closer to him. "Julie?"

I stood behind him and saw how pale she looked, not to mention the bullet wound in the middle of her forehead.

"God help us," Jack whispered, seeing the bloody scene before us.

"God won't help us," Yusei said, looking around. "He hasn't before so why would he now." He clenched his hand, eyes narrowed at the church. Akiza placed her hand on his arm, just a calming gesture.

I moved around everyone in front of me and up the steps. Jim already stood next to Camula; he nudged her chest with his booted foot; she rolled over onto her stomach, sliding down a few steps. He looked at me, saying, "I think she's dead."

I nodded. "What a surprise, me too."

He cracked a weak smile, but quickly shook his head, wiping it away. His eyes darkened as he focused on Jesse and Julie. I flinched even before I looked, knowing what I was going to see. Still, I looked, and wished I hadn't. It wasn't a normal scene, like the kind that happen in movies. This one was even more heartbreaking. Jesse was just holding her, staring down at her face, tears running down his. That's it, that's all. There wasn't any screaming, or shouts to wake up. Jesse was too smart to believe that that would work.

Part of me wished he wasn't, it would make it easier on me.

"It looks like she was jumped," Jim whispered. I nodded and looked down at Camula's body.

"I don't think it was Julie who killed Camula."

Jim frowned. "I don't think it was her either."

"Then who was it?" Joey asked, walking up the steps slightly. I sighed and shook my head, folding my arms across my chest.

"I don't want to say it, but I think it might have been the actual Skull leader."

Everyone but Jesse gasped and looked at me.

"That doesn't make any sense," Kaiba said, narrowing his eyes at me. "The leader is after you, is he not?"

"Not yet," I answered.

"What do you mean?" Tony asked, looking at me.

I sighed and shook my head. "He's a sick bastard, Tony. He wants to watch me suffer. He won't come after me unless everyone I care about is dead, killed by his Skulls. Or…" I trailed off, frowning at Camula's body.

"Or?" Crow probed.

I looked up at everyone. "Or all of his Skulls are dead."

"Well, one more is down for the count." Jack picked up Camula's arm, releasing it only to watch it slam against her body again, proof of death.

"Yes, but is one of ours also out of this twisted game?" I whispered quietly, a question more for myself than for anyone else. Still, someone heard me. Alexis grabbed my arm and clung to it with one hand. I looked at her to see her other hand was clutching her locket. Something cold clutched at my heart and I quickly looked away. I felt like I just found the body of another one of my 'sisters'.

Still, looking away did me no good. I only saw Jesse press his head against Julie's chest as he pulled her tighter against him. '_Yeah…I'm not surviving this one._' I walked down the steps, Alexis still clinging to my arm, and stopped next to Jesse. But before I could say anything, like I was trying to muster up the courage to do, Jesse pulled back from Julie, gasping.

"What's up, Mate?" Jim asked, quickly running down the steps.

Jesse shook his head lightly, an awed expression on his face. "Julie…she…she's…she's breathing."

My hand shot out and clutched his shoulder, spinning him around slightly. "What!"

"That's impossible!" Jack yelled.

"It wouldn't be the first time Julie's survived when all others would have died," Jim murmured.

Atem dropped to one knee, turning Julie's head slightly so he could press his middle and index finger where her pulse would be strongest. We all waited a few heartbeats (no pun intended) while he checked her pulse. "I'll be damned," he said after a moment. "She still has a pulse."

"How can that be?" Crow gasped in shock. Everyone just looked at each other, trying to figure it out themselves. Before anyone could think of a reason, Julie groaned softly in pain. Everyone gasped and looked at her.

"Julie!" Jesse yelled, arms tightening around her. Again, she moaned. This time she turned her head slightly, toward Jesse's chest. She raised her hand and pressed it against her forehead, as if she had a headache.

Which, you know, is a hell of a lot better than being dead.

"We should get her to a hospital before she has a relapse," Kaiba said, leaning down to push Julie's hand aside while he pressed a cloth to her wound. Everyone nodded and quickly got up. Jim helped Jesse stand up with Julie in his arms. They ran off toward the hospital, everyone still in some sort of awe.

Alexis' hand slid down my arm, her hand into mine. "Talk about a miracle."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," I said softly. Alexis looked at me then past me at the church.

"Maybe Yusei was wrong. Maybe God did help us."

I nodded slightly. "Yeah…maybe."

_**xXx**_

_Before anyone says anything, yes you can survive being shot in the head. No flames for that because I'll explain exactly __**what **__happened in the next chapter, all right?_

_Anyway, I'd love some reviews! : ) Reviews will bring faster updates, I promise!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	33. Lured Away

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess, she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

**Remaining Chapters (Excluding this one): 5**

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

The doctor stood at Julie's side, flipping through a few papers on his clipboard. We all stood around the hospital room, watching him. We'd arrived to the hospital about an hour ago and have been kept out of the loop just as long. From the surprised looks on all of the ER doctors' and nurses' faces, this wasn't something they saw often.

"What's the prognosis, Doc?" Joey asked, finally being the first to speak. The doctor sighed and lowered his clipboard.

"Well…have a look at this scan of Miss Carter." He turned around and walked over to the light box on the wall. He placed a scan on the box and turned it on. "Look here." He circled the center of the scan, saying, "This is where the bullet entered Miss Carter's head. From this scan you can clearly see that the bullet passed between the two lobes of her brain."

"Is that even possible?" Akiza asked, looking closely at the scan.

"Of course." The doctor pulled the scan off of the light box. "But it is extremely rare to happen. Miss Carter is extremely lucky."

"How lucky?" Jim asked.

The doctor smiled. "From what I can gather Miss Carter will have no brain damage."

"So she's all right?" Jesse asked, clutching Julie's hand.

"Yes, she's perfectly all right." The doctor scratched his beard, hanging the clipboard on the end of the bed.

"If she's all right then why is she still unconscious?" I asked. The doctor looked back at me then at Julie.

"Miss Carter was struck from behind, right at the base of her skull. She's simply very dazed and tired. I'm sure she'll wake up in a few hours." The doctor glanced around at the machines. "In fact, once she wakes up you can have her discharged and take her home with you."

"Thank you, Doctor," Atem said, hand extended toward him.

"You're quite welcome." He took Atem's hand, shook it, and then left.

"Well…what do we do now?" Crow asked, looking around at everyone. I sighed and walked over to the bed, standing next to Jesse.

He looked up at me, asking, "Do you have a plan?"

I shrugged. "Same one as this morning, only minus a few people." I sighed and looked up at Jim. "Why don't you head back to the mansion, make sure everyone's staying in line?"

He looked at me confused for a moment before nodding. "Okay."

"I'll stay here, in case she wakes up soon," Jesse said, looking up at me.

I nodded, placing my hand on his shoulder and squeezing it. I turned around and looked at Alexis, seeing her standing right behind me. "I want you to stay here too."

She looked at me surprised. "What? No."

I frowned and grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the room. Once the door was shut behind us, I stopped and turned around the face her. "You're staying."

"No. You wanted me to come with you and all of a sudden you want me to stay here." She shook her head slowly. "Honestly, Jaden, I can't keep up with you."

"Honestly, Alexis, I can't keep up with myself." I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. "This situation just keeps getting more and more complicated. Every time I do something, something else happens that makes me think I've made the wrong decision. People get killed and I know there was something I could have done to stop it."

"But you couldn't have known before it happened," she whispered, running her hand down my arm.

I nodded. "You're right, but I want you to stay here. Not because of the reason you're thinking, but because I want someone here for Jesse." I ran my hand over her hair, smoothing out some frayed ends. She sighed and leaned into my hand.

"Fine, you win. But next time you get sucked into a gang war, unless you're one hundred percent positive we can help, leave us at Duel Academy." She was smiling, so I knew she was teasing me, but she was also right.

"There isn't a right or wrong thing, Lex. All I know is that I have to protect you guys." I leaned forward and pressed my lips to hers, keeping my hand lightly on her cheek.

"I know," she whispered, pulling back slightly. "And I know you're doing the best you can." She moved her head forward and pressed her lips back against mine. I pulled away and ran my hand down her arm, grabbing her hand. She squeezed my hand once and gave me a soft smile, causing me to smile back. We walked back into the room; everyone was waiting patiently for us to return.

Crow pointed at Alexis, asking, "She staying?"

"Yeah," I said.

"Well if Alexis is staying here, who's going with you?" Yusei asked, looking at me. I folded my arms across my chest.

"Hm, haven't thought that far ahead," I muttered.

"I'll go with you, Jaden," Tony said. I frowned and looked at him.

"I can go with you instead, Mate," Jim offered quickly but I just shook my head.

"No, I want you to go back to the mansion. Tony's fine coming with me."

He just sighed and nodded, grabbing his coat and leaving the room.

"Are we going back out?" Yusei asked.

"Yeah and we're not meeting back up until all the Skulls are dead." I looked up at everyone. "Let's go."

_**xXx**_

_**Narrative POV**_

Giese stood under the shade of a few trees, a lit cigarette in his mouth. He saw the gaggle of people he and his fellow Skulls were hunting leaving the hospital. As he watched them from behind his tinted sunglasses, he remembered the call he received just a few minutes ago from his leader.

"_Go to Domino City General." _

_Giese looked around the bar he was sitting in, swirling his glass around. "Why?"_

"_Julie isn't dead but she is unconscious in the hospital. Jesse is there and he'll be extremely worried and distracted-your prefect chance."_

_Giese smirked and took a sip of his drink. "Really, very interesting. Did you fail my great leader?"_

"_She's a great thorn in my side. If you somehow manage to kill the immortal Julie Carter, the reward will be doubled. Not to mention your revenge ensured, as Jesse would have a little tunnel vision with some red around the edges."_

_Giese smirked wickedly, grinding his cigarette in the tray next to his drink. "Very tempting. I think I'll take that little wager."_

"_Good."_

_And the line went dead._

Giese smirked and pulled his cigarette out and dropped it to the ground, grinding it beneath his foot. "Time to die my precious nephew!"

_**xXx**_

"Jim wants to know if you want him to bring Maria over," Alexis said, looking at Jesse. He shook his head.

"No. Julie will wake up soon and we'll get back home and everything will be fine." He still clutched her hand in his, his free one smoothing over the bandage on her forehead. Alexis frowned and conveyed the message to Jim, hanging up the phone and returning to her seat opposite of Jesse.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, mostly." He sighed and released Julie's hand, rubbing his face. "Maybe."

"She'll be okay, Jesse. She'll wake up and you'll be okay." She reached up to touch his hand, the one he had resting on Julie's forehead. "You'll both be okay."

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, well." He cleared his throat and pulled his hand out from beneath hers. "I'm going to go talk to the doctor about a few things." He stood up and left the room. Alexis sighed and looked at Julie, grabbing her hand to hold it loosely.

"It's times like this when I wonder if you realize just how incredibly lucky you are," Alexis murmured. Her response was a steady, mechanical beep. "You're smart enough to know that you are in some ways, but not in others." Quickly, Alexis counted through the number of things Julie would most likely say went wrong with her life, beginning with her lost childhood. "I wonder if you regret your decision to join the Bloods." Alexis sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I wonder if _any _of you guys do."

Alexis ran her fingers through her hair, staring at the calm face before her. "I've only been involved in this gang life for a little more than a year and I've already seen so much, lost too much." She frowned. "But you've lost more, haven't you?"

"The price of this life I'm afraid."

Alexis whirled around, seeing a figure standing the doorway. "Who are you?"

The person chuckled and entered the room. It was a man, tall with brown hair and a pointed goatee of the same shade. His eyes were cold, murderous. "The name's Giese my sweet princess."

Alexis felt all color drain from her face. "Giese? As in…Jesse's…"

Giese smirked. "Uncle, correct. My, look how pretty you are." He took another step forward. Alexis slid back, still in her chair.

"What do you want?" Alexis' hand fumbled around the edge of the bed, looking for the panic button.

Giese pulled a gun out of his inner vest pocket, pointing it at Alexis, who froze. "Place those pretty little hands of yours in your lap, Princess. Don't want anyone rushing in now, do we?"

Slowly Alexis folded her shaking hands in her lap. Giese smiled widely, placing his gun back where he pulled it from. "Excellent. Now as to answer your question, I'm here to do my job. My leader told me about how Julie was here, and my ungrateful bug of a nephew."

"So you're here to kill them both."

"Smart as you are pretty." Giese smiled and took a large step toward Alexis. She tried to back away again, but her chair ended up bumping into the table next to Julie's bed. Giese caught a lock of her hair, raising it to his face and running it beneath his nose. "You really are quite a prize." He smiled widely and dropped the strand of hair he held.

"Jesse isn't here."

"Not in this room, but he will be very shortly." Giese chuckled and pulled his gun back up, pointing it at Julie's heart and releasing the safety. "He'll come running when Julie's precious little beeping turns into the shrieking of a flat line." He looked at Alexis. "I wonder if the immortal Julie Carter can survive a bullet straight through her heart. The vampire couldn't."

Alexis stared at the gun with wide eyes, her heart pounding against her ribs.

"Don't worry, Sunshine. I haven't forgotten about you. Once I've killed Julie and my bug of a nephew, you'll be coming with me."

"Me! Why?" Alexis gasped as Giese grabbed her chin, clutching it tightly.

"For some reason, my leader wants you alive. My guess is he'll use you against that Yuki punk. You are, after all, his only weakness."

"No I'm not," Alexis muttered, trying to jerk her face free from Giese's grip.

"His little sister? Your other friends? His other friends? Please, you're the only one that boy would turn himself over to save. If you were to die, so would his sanity and only reason for living."

Alexis shook her head. "Jaden wouldn't give up living if I died. He still has Jess and everyone else."

Giese got right in Alexis' face, whispering, "Your precious boyfriend nearly went crazy with the death of that rat Syrus, did he not? You know exactly how he'll react if you, his very beating heart, was to die." Giese chuckled and leaned back. "That demon that lives inside him, that monster everyone fears, would consume him as his thirst for revenge would. That man you love would perish right along with you."

"You make it sound like I'm going to die very soon," Alexis whispered, eyeing Giese's gun, which was still pointed at Julie.

"Oh, you will, but Julie and Jesse are a bit closer to that great light." He stopped, pulling the gun back and tapping the barrel against his chin. "Well, maybe."

Alexis' heart stopped as Giese turned toward her.

"Once I shoot this and kill Julie, Jesse will rush in. I'll have to kill him quickly, which won't do at all." A sick smirk slowly spread across Giese's face. "But if I were to kill _you_ then of course he'd rush in, but I'd have more time to torture and kill him." Giese nodded slowly. "Yes, I like that plan a lot better." He pointed the gun at Alexis.

"You'd go against your leader's orders?"

He laughed. "Sweetheart, I only used that sick son-of-a-bitch to track down Jesse. I'm a loose cannon now, one who isn't afraid of the one from the shadows." He released the safety on his gun. "Tell sweet ol' Syrus 'hi' for me."

Alexis' eyes grew wide. '_Jaden, help!_'

Just then, a hand clamped tightly onto Giese's shoulder, jerking him back as a fist connected with his face, sending him to the floor. His gun was in new hands, which thankfully kept if from going off. Alexis looked up to see a very pale, but very pissed off looking Jesse.

"Jesse my boy!" Giese jumped onto his feet, wiping blood from his split lip. "Coming between a hunter and his game is never a smart move. Did I teach you nothing?"

"They're not your game! You're not laying one finger on either of them!" Jesse disassembled Giese gun, dropping the bullets and pieces to the ground.

Giese smirked and raised one hand at Jesse, waving his fingers in a 'come here' motion. "Then come and kill me, Boy!"

_**xXx**_

_INTENSE!_

_Review!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	34. Death of the Hunter

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess, she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

**Remaining Chapters (Excluding this one): 4**

_**xXx**_

_**Narrative POV**_

"Jesse, wait!" Alexis yelled, but she was ignored. Jesse launched himself at Giese, tackling him out of the hospital room. As the two landed in the hospital lobby, nurses and other shrieked. Giese snapped his fist forward, punching Jesse in the face. Jesse fell back and Giese jumped up, running out of the hospital. "Jesse!" Alexis ran to the doorway.

"Stay there, Alexis!" Jesse whipped his lip and removed his coat, tossing it into the room. "Don't you dare leave for anything, I'll be right back." He jumped up and started chasing after the very man that's haunted his dreams for the better part of his life.

"And what if you don't come back!" Alexis yelled after him, clutching the doorway as she leaned out to watch him run.

'_Good question._' Jesse's eyes narrowed as he saw the back of fleeing figure he as pursuing. '_No, not fleeing. Leading. Giese doesn't run from anything, but he will lead anything to where he wants._'

As if to prove his point, Giese looked over his shoulder then, smirking when he saw Jesse pursuing him. "Catch me if you can!" He picked up the pace, weaving in and around trees and other obstacles, hoping to trip up Jesse.

"Giese, you don't _want _me to catch you!" Jesse flipped over a bench that Giese tried to make him slam into. Jesse heard his sick laughter just before he lost him in a large crowd of pedestrians. "Get out of my way!" Jesse yelled, shoving more than one person out of his way.

"Hey, watch it punk!" someone barked, trying to grab Jesse's arm to jerk him back.

"I don't have time for you!" Jesse slammed the side of his hand against the man's wrist, causing him to yelp and retract his hand. Jesse, now free, took off running in the direction that he last saw Giese going. He slowed down when he came to an empty parking structure. There was a sign at the bottom that lead into the building:

'**CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS. NO PEDESTRIANS BEYOND THIS POINT.**'

Jesse frowned and walked right past the sign, jumping over the stripped bar that would keep all vehicles out. The building was dark, all back up lights flickering on and off. Jesse was tight with nerves, ears awaiting any sound that would lead him to Giese's current location.

"_Do you remember your first hunt?_"

Jesse spun around, but there was nothing behind him but the dimming lights of the streets. He turned back around and ran up the incline to the next level. Giese was a hunter to the bone, and all hunters love their vantage points.

"_Come now, Jesse. Don't be rude._"

Someone kicked Jesse's legs out from beneath him, sending him flying forward and skidding across the asphalt. He coughed and forced himself to his hands and knees, gasping for breath. Before he could catch it, someone kicked his chest again, causing him to roll onto this back. He managed one gasp before a steel-toed boot ground into his chest.

"You weren't a very good hunter." Giese frowned and tilted his head, looking down at the gasping teen. "You still aren't."

"I don't kill for fun like you!" Jesse punched Giese's knee, forcing it to buckle in the opposite direction he was meant to. Giese hissed and shifted his weight from his injured knee, giving Jesse enough room to roll out from beneath his foot.

"Yet look where you are!" Giese began to stalk around Jesse, who was crouched now, mimicking him. "You're second-in-command of a _gang_!"

"Both leaders I've served under despised killing! Jaden never even killed anyone until last year, and he still didn't kill right out! He waited until he had no other option!" Jesse stood up straight. "You're trying to make me and my friends seem more like you, Giese, but it won't work. We're nothing like you!"

"You really believe that?" Giese chuckled and shook his head. "Boy, I never pegged you for being this stupid! You've surrounded yourself with murderers! Do you even know what your buddy Jim did in the last year, with Axel's help?"

Jesse paused for a moment, narrowing his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Your buddies went back to Australia, where Jim dealt with his backstabbing buddies the way you guys taught him." Giese took one step toward Jesse. "The way _I _taught _you._" Giese spun around quickly and kicked Jesse square in the chest, sending him skidding on his back.

He groaned in pain, mind reeling at Giese's words. He knew about Jim's past in Australia, the way his buddies ruined his life by pinning a series of murders on him. But would Jim really go back home and get revenge by killing all of them? And would Axel help?

The answer was obvious: yes.

Jesse slowly stood up, looking at Giese, who was smiling. "I can see it in those emerald eyes of yours, you know what I'm saying is true."

"You're a fucking liar, Giese. You always have been and you always will be."

"Your words hurt."

"You're about to find out how much worse I can make you feel." Jesse launched himself again at the man before him. Giese ducked and caught Jesse around the waist, flipping him over his back and throwing him down to the ground. Jesse landed on the downward incline, groaning in pain, and rolled quickly down it. He finally came to a stop when a boot landed on his side.

"Big words for such a small bug." Giese raised his foot and slammed it back down on Jesse's side. Jesse cried out in pain, curling into a ball as he clutched his throbbing side. "Still think you can hurt me?" He kicked the side he just crushed, forcing Jesse to roll a few more feet away; the Southerner was gasping for breath, trying to keep from sobbing pain. "It hurts, doesn't it? Now you know how I felt when you disappeared on me!" Giese grabbed Jesse's shirt collar, pulling him up so he could look him in the eye.

"I took you in, raised you like my own, and how do you repay me? You run away!" Giese held Jesse up by one hand and punched him right in the gut, causing him to cough up blood. "You ungrateful worm!" He threw the teal-haired teen, stalking toward him slowly. Jesse was gasping and trying to stand up.

"The worst thing is that when I finally found you that _brat _Jaden Yuki got in my way." He kicked Jesse's back, forcing him to roll over. He dropped to one knee and grabbed Jesse's hair, yanking his head back so he could look him right in the eye. "Once I finish with you and your precious girlfriend, his is next on my list. Fuck my leader, I'm getting my revenge on him next."

"Jaden didn't do anything to you!" Jesse snapped, only to cry out in pain as Giese twisted his head back by the hair.

"He stopped me! He beat me! He saved you!" Giese pulled Jesse's face up, so close that Jesse could smell the liquor on his breath. "And I don't forgive anyone who gets in the way of what I want." Giese released his vice grip on Jesse's hair and stood up, staring down at the broken boy at his feet.

"And what are you going to do after you get revenge on Jaden? The leader of the Skulls will only come after you next!" Jesse looked up, seeing Giese simply shrug.

"I'm not afraid of some pansy that can't even give orders face to face. For all I know he's some bedridden old man."

"And if he isn't?"

Giese smirked. "Still doesn't matter. You see, Jesse, I already know what I'm doing after I get my complete revenge."

"And what's that?" Jesse tried to sit up, but pain speared through him and he fell back down, crying out.

Giese laughed. "I'm taking on a new protégée. In fact, I already have the perfect person in mind."

Jesse narrowed his eyes at him. "Who?"

Giese smirked. "Your daughter of course."

Jesse's heart stopped, breath catching in his throat. '_Maria…!_'

"She'll make the perfect student. Her parents are both very strong, even her grandparents are impressive." Giese nodded. "Oh yes, she's perfect."

"You are _not _laying one **finger **on my daughter!" Jesse said, voice tight with temper.

"Tisk, tisk, Jesse. You can't stop me. You can barely stand up." Giese pulled a gun out of his pants, pointing the barrel at Jesse's head. "Sorry, Nephew, but I guarantee that you won't be as lucky as your girlfriend, who's luck has run out by the way." He released the safety. "Goodbye for good."

Jesse jumped up, grabbing the hand that held the gun and forcing it to the side. His other hand came up to grip Giese's throat tightly. He forced the hunter against a wall, forcing him up the wall so he was gagging. "I'm not going anywhere!" His hand tightened around Giese's throat.

"We'll see about that!" Giese kicked his leg up, smacking against Jesse's very sensitive side. The Blood hissed in pain, his grip loosening on the crazed Skull. Giese managed to free himself from Jesse's grip on his throat. Except he didn't free himself, Jesse let him go. He grabbed the gun in Giese's hand and bent it back, forcing the hand to open and release it.

"Yes, we will." Jesse pointed the gun at Giese, taking a few steps back. Giese raised his hands up, seeing that now he was on the opposite end of the gun.

"You're not going to kill me." He sounded very confident.

"You threatened my best friend, you threatened my best friend's girlfriend, you threatened **my** girlfriend, and worst of all you threatened my **daughter!**" Jesse released the safety.

"You're not a murderer, Jesse."

Jesse nodded. "You're right, I'm not."

Giese relaxed slightly, making a move to take his gun back. Jesse fired, causing Giese to cry out and stumble back, clutching his bleeding arm.

"I'm not a murderer, but this monster inside me is. The one you created!"

Giese looked up, seeing that Jesse's eyes weren't emerald but a cold orange. He recognized the look his nephew had:

It was the look of someone about to commit murder.

"Jesse, wait!"

"You've threatened the wrong man for the last time, Giese!"

Giese roared then, lunging at Jesse. Jesse, orange eyes blank, pulled back the trigger. Giese stopped, gasped, and stumbled back, clutching his chest. Jesse fired again. Giese coughed up blood and collapsed to his knees. He looked up at the monster before him, the one that he created, the one that just murdered him. His eyes grew dull and he fell to the ground, dead.

Jesse threw the gun next to him, seeing the blood of the hunter pool around his favorite tool. "Die by the hand of your own creation." He turned around and walked away from the monster who tortured him and the monster he had become.

Jesse Andersen was finally free.

_**xXx**_

_Whoop! Giese is dead! YAY! : ) _

_Please review! _

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	35. A Pharoah's Revenge

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess, she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

**Remaining Chapters (Excluding this one): 3**

_**xXx**_

_**Narrative POV**_

Jesse limped back into Julie's room, miraculously unseen by hospital personal. Once he was inside the room, he closed the door behind him, leaning back against it.

"Jesse?" Alexis called. He looked up at her, seeing her rising from her chair. "Is everything okay?"

He smiled softly. "Giese is dead, so everything is better."

Alexis rushed over to him, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly, whispering, "Thank you."

He nodded and wrapped on arm around her in a loose hug, flinching slightly. She felt him, however, and immediately jumped back. "Are you okay?"

"I'll survive." He flinched again, clutching his side. "I think."

Alexis took his arm and lead him to his chair, helping him sit down. "Should I go get a doctor?"

"In a minute." Jesse grabbed his phone off of the nightstand next to Julie's bed. "I want to call Jaden first."

Alexis nodded and went to stand by the window, farther from Jesse and out of hearing if he whispered, which he would be. Jesse dialed a familiar number and pressed the phone to his ear, trying to keep his movement to a minimal; Giese really did a number on him.

'_Jesse? What's wrong?_' Jaden sounded concerned.

"Nothing."

'_Then why are you calling?_'

"That's just it, Jay. There is **nothing wrong**."

Jaden was silent for a minute. '_Let's pretend I have absolutely no idea what you mean._'

Jesse laughed. "Okay then, I'll explain. Giese is dead."

Jaden fell silent again. '_Dead?_'

"Yeah."

'_How?_'

"The general way someone becomes dead."

'_Okay, Captain Smartass. I'm serious. What happened? I thought you weren't leaving the hospital._'

"I didn't. Well, not technically. I had to leave to chase down Giese."

'_Wait, wait, wait. Giese was __**at **__the hospital?_'

Jesse's smile fell. "He wasn't just here, Jaden, he was in Julie's room."

'_How the hell did he get into her room!_'

Jesse sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I wanted to talk to the doctors, so I left."

'_Is Alexis okay?_'

Jesse looked up, seeing Alexis playing with her hair, staring out the window. "Yeah, she is. Julie is okay, thanks for your concern."

'_Well then, great job, Jesse._' Jaden cleared his throat. '_I guess I owe you one._'

"Nah." Jesse smiled softly and smoothed hair off of Julie's forehead. "Let's call it even."

'_Deal._'

_**xXx**_

"I never noticed before but Domino City has a lot of abandoned districts," Kaiba said, glancing around the abandoned warehouse district, where he and Atem were walking.

"Perfect hiding places for revenge seeking Skulls," Atem agreed, looking around. Kaiba looked at him.

"I know we owed Mark for how he helped us, but why exactly are we getting involved in this? Look at what it's cost us. Atem, Marik's dead."

"Yes, Seto, I know." Atem looked at his long-time rival and friend. "But I can't know the Skulls are back and not help. The Bloods handled it all last time. Last year they also handled the Cribs while simultaneously disbanding themselves." Atem looked out into the ocean, stuffing his hands into his pants pockets. "Jaden and his fellow Bloods singlehandedly disbanded almost every gang in Japan." Atem looked back at Seto. "And they've never once asked for help."

"Except from the Cribs for disbanding the Skulls the first time."

"The Skulls, Cribs, and Bloods were all from the same town, Seto. What help would we have been in Ochi City?" Atem shrugged. "Besides, the Bloods have never asked for help before. I'm not about to turn my back on them now that they are reaching out for help."

Seto surrendered with a sigh, rolling his eyes. "Okay, you win." He groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Sense we're going to go full throttle with this, what's our next move?"

Atem pointed down a street of warehouses. "You go that way and I'll go this way."

"Sure, why not! Let's split up in an abandoned area of town filled with empty buildings that any Skull could be hiding in waiting for the perfect opportunity to jump out and slit our throats!" Kaiba looked at Atem. "Brilliant idea!"

Atem narrowed his eyes at him. "I'm not hoping for just any Skull and since when did you argue with me over my decisions involving the Pyramids?"

"This isn't about the Pyramids; this is about your need for revenge!"

"Are you saying you don't want to kill Bakura as well?"

Kaiba shook his head, muttering, "Don't turn this around to make me seem like the bad guy."

"Why in the world would I do that when you're doing a fantastic job doing it on your own?"

Kaiba's head snapped up, eyes blazing. "You know what? You're absolutely right! I shouldn't disagree with my great leader." Kaiba bowed and hurried off in the direction Atem had indicated. He turned around but continued to move backwards. "I'll contact you if I get jumped and killed, my magnificent leader!"

Atem glared at him until he was out of sight. "He's been spending too much time with Joey." Atem sighed and went on his own way. He walked past many warehouses until he stopped at one; warehouse 25F. "Something feels odd about this one." He grabbed his walkie-talkie, speaking into it, "Seto, get over to warehouse 25F. I think Bakura may be inside."

'_Are you going to even wait for me?_'

"No, but I want you to get here as soon as you can."

'_I'll be there in five._'

"I'm not waiting," Atem said, hanging up his walkie-talkie. He walked up to the door of warehouse, heart pounding in his ears as he pushed open the rusted door. It fell on the floor, scattering rust and dust around the barren room.

In the middle of the room stood Bakura.

"I was wondering just how long it would take you to arrive," he said, smirking.

"Obviously not long," Atem said, stepping into the warehouse.

"Where's Joey and your other Pyramids?"

"Out hunting your other Skulls."

Bakura laughed. "Hunting my other Skulls. Pharaoh, I think you guys misunderstand. These new Skulls have no loyalty to one another."

Atem raised an eyebrow. "What about your leader?"

"What? Some phone in the middle of a dimly lit building in the attic of some rundown bar in Domino? Neither Kalin nor I know who the hell our supposed 'leader' is, so we've taken things into our own hands." Bakura paused for a moment. "At least for some things."

"What things?"

"Well, this for example." Bakura ripped a knife from his belt and, with a flick of his wrist, threw the knife so it dug itself into Atem's shoulder.

"Gah!" Atem reached up to pull the knife out but was caught off guard by Bakura, who snuck up behind him, kicking him in the back. Atem fell to the ground, forcing the knife deeper into his shoulder.

"Stabbed in the front and kicked in the back." Bakura laughed and kicked Atem in the side, hard. The pharaoh rolled a few feet before managing to stop. He quickly rose to his feet, breathing deeply.

"What things have you taken into your own hands, Bakura?"

Bakura waved his hand in a dismissing manner, grabbing another knife from his belt. "Relax. The only thing Kalin and I have taken into our own hands is this." He threw the knife again, this time so it found home in Atem's thigh. Before he could do anything about the two knives in him, Bakura jumped up. He grabbed the hilt of both knives and shoved them deeper into Atem, forcing him against a wall.

"Damn!" Atem, hands still free, punched Bakura in the face. The thief king flipped out of the way, laughing like a lunatic. "What do you mean, Bakura!"

"What I mean, Pharaoh, is that Kalin and I are not waiting any longer. The leader wanted us to prolong your torture, to keep you Pyramids and the Signers chasing your tails until he was ready to take out Jaden Yuki." Bakura raised his right hand to his face. Sense they weren't far apart, Atem could see the red on it: blood, his blood. "We're going to kill all of you and let the leader have his way with Yuki and all of his friends." He licked the blood from his palm.

Atem wrinkled his nose, tearing the knives from his thigh and shoulder, dropping them on the ground. "What does your leader have against Jaden?"

Bakura shrugged, dropping his arm. "I don't know and, honestly, I don't care." Bakura rolled his shoulders, popping his neck. "Now, are we going to stand here and talk or are we going to fight?"

Atem shook his head. "No, this fight is over." He raised his arm, hand open, and extended it toward Bakura. "Goodbye, Bakura."

"What are you doing?" Bakura cocked his head to the side, looking at Atem puzzled.

"**Mind Crush!**"

Bakura blinked a few times before he threw his head back and laughed out loud. "You really are an idiot! That stupid thing won't work on me!"

"I know," Atem said, suddenly standing behind Bakura. The thief stopped laughing, feeling something cool being pressed against his back. "It was just a distraction."

_BANG!_

Atem released his grip on Bakura's arm and let him fall to the ground, dead. He placed his gun back where he had it hidden and stepped over the corpse on the ground. As he approached the door he entered, Kaiba rushed in, gun drawn.

"You're late," Atem said, smiling softly.

Kaiba looked up and saw what just unfolded not ten seconds ago. "So it would seem." He put his gun away. He opened his mouth, about to say something, when he got a confused look on his face. "What in the world?"

Atem stopped and turned around, eyes following Kaiba's line of sight. He was looking at Bakura's body, watching as it slowly turned to sand. After a moment, all that remained of the great Thief King Bakura was a pile of sand.

"What just happened?" Kaiba asked.

"His time on this plane is done. He's returned to the sands of time, where he belongs," Atem said. He looked at Kaiba, seeing the famous 'you've got to be shitting me' look. Atem just chuckled and clapped Kaiba's shoulder. "Glad to see you haven't changed, Kaiba. Now let's get out of here."

Kaiba shrugged Atem's hand off and left, muttering something Atem couldn't make out. As the two Pyramids left the warehouse, the sands of their enemy began to blow away. With their fellow Pyramid finally avenged, and one more Skull down, the Pyramids could finally feel at peace.

At least for now.

_**xXx**_

_Wow…weird ending. It's 3:15 a.m. right now…so I'm a little out of it._

_Still, I like it! XD _

_So…REVIEW!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	36. A Satellite Death

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess, she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

**Remaining Chapters (Excluding this one): 2**

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

"So you killed Bakura?" I asked into my talkie, making sure I heard Atem right.

'_Yeah, he's dead, gone for good,_' he answered, sounding a bit relieved. I sighed.

"Good. Giese is also dead, so that just leaves Kalin and the leader."

'_Jesse killed Giese?_' He sounded startled.

I frowned, answering, "Yeah, Giese came to the hospital."

'_Is he okay? Jesse I mean._'

"As far as I could tell when he called me, but only time will tell." I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. "Okay, well, why don't you meet up with Joey and Tristan and head back to the hospital?"

'_Good idea, be careful, Jaden._'

"Always am." I flicked off my walkie-talkie and attached to my belt, sighing again.

"Bakura's dead?" Tony asked, looking at me. I nodded and looked back at him.

"Yeah, Kalin and the leader are the only ones left." I looked off, watching people run around the streets. "I never thought we'd make it this far. I can hardly believe that it's almost over."

"Almost over? Jaden, something tells me this is far from over."

I frowned and nodded. "Right." I looked at him, seeing that he was about to say something when my phone started ringing. I held up a finger and grabbed it, answering, "Hello?"

'_Jaden!_' It was Yugi.

"Yugi, what's wrong?"

'_There's a Skull here! They're in the actual compound!_'

I whirled around and started running toward the house. Tony jumped up and chased after me. "Idiot, wait for me!"

"Can you guys get out?"

'_I think so. But even if we do, where do we go?_'

"Go to the hospital." I rounded the corner. We were a little over three miles away from Yugi's mansion. "Get out of there now, Yugi. Tony and I are on our way."

'_Right-o. We're gone._' And he hung up the phone. I snapped mine shut and slid it back into my pocket.

"Now that you're off the phone, do you mind explaining to me while we're sprinting back to the mansion?"

"There's a Skull attacking the others." I looked back at Tony. "I think it's the leader."

His eyes grew wide. "You didn't mention that to Yugi."

I nodded. "I don't want him to mention it and have Jim try to be a hero."

"Yeah, let's save the heroism for the man with the hero complex." Tony narrowed his eyes at me, but I just glared at him.

"You're free to stay here."

"And let you go by yourself? Not a chance."

I shrugged and continued running. If the Skull attacking the mansion really is the leader, than this is it. One way or another, this war ends now, either he dies or we both do.

_**xXx**_

_**Narrative POV**_

Something buzzed on the table.

"Yugi, is that your phone?" Jess asked, pointing at the vibrating phone. Yugi, who was peeking outside, turned around.

"Yeah." He dropped the curtain and walked over to his table, picking up the phone and answering it. "Hello?"

'_Yugi, get out of there now!_' It was Jaden.

"What, why? I thought you said no one leaves?"

'_I think the house has been compromised! Atem just called me and told me that he killed Bakura, but that before he died Bakura said that you guys were as good as dead!_'

"Are you sure?"

'_Yes! Now get out of there!_'

"And go where?" Yugi grabbed his coat from the hook.

"Where are we going?" Blair asked, looking around confused.

'_Go to the hospital, just get out of there! I'm on my way to make sure everything is okay._'

"Jim can just check, can't he?" Yugi looked up at Jim, who was looking at him confused.

'_No! I think the Skull on the premises may be the actual leader! Jim's not good enough to take him! Just get out!_'

"But what if it isn't safe to leave?"

'_It isn't safe to stay! Damn it, Yugi! Get everyone out of that house!_'

"All right, we're gone." He hung up the phone and looked at everyone.

"We're leaving?" Bastion asked, standing up.

"Yes. That was Jaden and he just told us to go the hospital."

"But why?" Jim asked, taking Maria from Hassleberry.

"Apparently we're no longer safe here, so Jaden wants us to go to the hospital."

"And how will be we safer there?" Chazz folded his arms across his chest. "I think we should stay and prove that we can take care of ourselves."

"Not today," Serenity said, grabbing his arm. "If the man in charge says to bail the house, then we bail the house." She began yanking him toward the back, everyone else following behind.

"I don't like this," Jess whispered to Jim. "Something just doesn't feel right about this."

"You're imagining things, Shelia." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Everything's fine."

Jess nodded and looked at him. "I hope you're right."

_**xXx**_

Kalin, crouched in the cover of trees, smiled as he watched everyone leave Yugi's mansion. Once they were out of his site, he stepped out from his cover, a cell phone and some strange contraption in his hand. To amuse himself, he raised the box to his mouth and spoke, "They're all a bunch of gullible idiots." He sounded just like Jaden.

He smirked and shifted the machine around. "I knew this plan would work." Now he sounded just like Yugi. He laughed manically and looked over his shoulder, back at where he was just hiding. "Everything is clear, Leader. Jaden Yuki will be here soon, just waiting for you to kill him." He turned around, eyes hard. "And now if you don't mind, I'm going to kill my once-best friend."

Kalin dropped the voice-changing machine to the ground and crushed it beneath his foot, walking away, leaving the now empty mansion where a Skull lay in waiting, ready to kill.

_**xXx**_

"Is there any particular reason why we're walking through a junk yard?" Akiza asked, looking up at Yusei.

He shrugged and stepped over a large metal barrel, helping her step over it. "Call it a hunch."

She looked at him. "You really think Kalin will be here?"

"Kalin will be wherever I am."

"But why you?" She squeezed his hand, forcing him to stop. "Yusei, why is Kalin so interested in you? Crow and Jack also turned their backs on him."

"Not like I did."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Yusei sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. After a moment he opened his eyes and released his nose. "When we left the Skulls, I was the one who confronted Kalin about it. I was also the one who went off and started a new gang. It was a double betrayal by one person, the one person he trusted most."

Akiza ran her hand over his face, frowning. "Do you regret turning your back on him?"

Yusei shook his head, covering her hand with his to hold it to his face. "Honestly, no I don't. He isn't the same, he's changed." He sighed and pulled her hand away, kissing her palm. "We all have."

"Yusei-" Akiza began but was cut off by the sound of a gun firing. Suddenly, Yusei collapsed to one knee, crying out in pain. "Yusei!" She dropped down, grabbing his arm to try and keep him steady.

"Aw, look at the lovely, backstabbing couple."

Yusei ground his teeth together and turned to see an approaching figure. "Kalin," he growled.

Said boy smirked wickedly, holding up a gun. "Yusei."

"Are you okay?" Akiza whispered, looking at Yusei.

He nodded, eyes focused on Kalin. He was clutching his leg with both hands, blood running down his hand; Kalin shot him in the leg. "I'm fine." He sighed and looked at her, whispering, "Akiza, I need you to get out of here."

"What!"

"Please, Akiza. Just get out of here."

"What about you?"

He turned away from her, eyes narrowed at Kalin, who was smirking at him. "I've got to deal with him first."

"But, Yusei."

"Akiza!" He looked at her, a pleading look in his eyes. "Please, just go."

She looked like she wanted to argue, uncertainty in her eyes, but she trusted Yusei. So she got up and ran off, looking over her shoulder only once.

"How noble of you, willing to sacrifice yourself for her," Kalin said, laughing. "You always were a hopeless romantic."

"I'm far from a hopeless romantic, Kalin," Yusei said, forcing himself to his feet.

"Right." Kalin's face grew serious, a furious look on his face. "But you are a backstabbing, no good, son-of-a-bitch!"

"Kalin." Yusei's voice was flat, level. He was trying to convince Kalin. "You need to let it go. We left, so what? Are you really going to hold it against us forever?"

"_Us_? Oh no, not _us_. I'm going to let it go in just a few minutes, once the ringleader is dead!" Kalin threw the gun into a pile of garbage, tackling Yusei to the ground. Yusei grunted in pain, become dazed when Kalin punched him in the face.

"What makes you think I'm the ringleader!" Yusei snapped, forcing Kalin off of his chest. Kalin tumbled backwards until he stopped in a crouched position. Yusei sat up and mimicked the pose, whipping blood from his lip.

"I know you're the damned leader! Crow and Jack would never have betrayed me in such a way, not unless you convinced them!" Kalin swung his leg out, snapping Yusei in the side and sending him flying into a light post.

"Agh," Yusei hissed, flinching as he stood up. He glared at Kalin through one eye, his other closed loosely. "I didn't convince them to do anything! It was Crow's idea to leave the Skulls!"

"Liar!" Kalin grabbed Yusei's collar and flipped him onto his back, spinning him around and dropping his full weight onto Yusei's chest, causing him the cough up blood.

"I'm not lying! Crow had the idea to leave the Skulls and Jack had the idea to start the Signers!"

"I refuse to listen to you spew more lies!" Kalin picked Yusei up and threw him, causing Yusei to land heavily on the ground.

"Argh." Yusei clutched his chest, rolling onto his back as he tried to focus on something other than the extreme pain he was in.

"Hurts? Now you know how I felt when you bastards betrayed me!" Kalin stopped moving, standing a few feet away from Yusei. "When _you _betrayed me."

"You betrayed **us**!" Yusei was looking around, trying to find something that would help him now. Kalin was going to kill him unless he could think of something, and fast.

"I never betrayed you!"

"You told us the Skulls were good guys! They're murderers, monsters with no heart!" Yusei glared at him. "You lied to us!"

"We were best friends, it shouldn't have mattered!"

"Of course it matters, Kalin! We don't kill for the hell of it! Everyone person has a right to live and it isn't yours or anyone else's job to decide otherwise!" Yusei looked up and noticed that Kalin was standing at the bottom of a shoot, a shoot that lead from a scrap metal container.

"Oh, now you're all high and mighty! You've killed more than once!"

"To save my friends; to protect the people I care about!" Yusei noticed the release switch to the shoot, right next to Kalin.

"I was your friend!" Kalin grabbed his knife out of his belt, eyes dead. "And you betrayed me and now you lie there trying to justify your decision."

Yusei felt around for something, anything, when his hand closed around something: Kalin's gun. Instantly, a plan formed in Yusei's head, but he only had one shot.

"And now, you die." Kalin raised his knife, ready to fling it and kill Yusei. "Say goodbye you bloody traitor."

"You first!" Yusei rolled up, grabbing the gun and firing at the release shoot. The door at the top opened and shards of broken and rusted metal tumbled out and down the slide. Kalin stopped and looked up, screaming when all of the metal fell on him, burying him, impaling him, killing him. Yusei stared at the metal pile, knowing that Kalin was buried and dead beneath it. He dropped the gun and fell back against the ground, sighing.

"Yusei!"

He sat up and saw Akiza, Jack, and Crow running toward him.

"Hey, guys."

The trio slowed down, seeing Yusei lying on the ground.

"Where's Kalin?" Jack asked, looking around. Yusei rolled his head toward the pile. They looked up at it; Akiza flinched.

"Wow," Crow said. "That's a tough way to die."

Yusei nodded but looked at them, sitting up slowly. Akiza dropped to her knees and helped support him. He looked at her, then at Crow and Jack. "Yeah, but if you're born a Satellite, you're going to die like one."

_**xXx**_

_Kalin's gone and the only Skull the remains is…THE LEADER!_

_GASP!_

_Two more chapters and then we're all done folks! So…__**REVIEW!**_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	37. Crushed Skulls

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess, she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

**Remaining Chapters (Excluding this one): 1!**

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

"Are you sure it's smart to just come busting in like this?" Tony demanded, but a moment too late. I just kicked in the front door, gun drawn as I looked for the Skull that had been so daring as to attack my friends here.

"Too late now." I looked at him. "You look upstairs, I'll look down here."

He nodded and went up the stairs, gun tight in his grip. I let out a breath and walked down the hall, checking every room, every closet, every empty place where anyone could hide and I came up with nothing. After five minutes I found myself in the living room, looking around. I lowered my arm, the one that held my gun.

"What the hell? Where is that Skull?" I scratched the top of my head. Suddenly, a gun is fired, a bullet flying right past my head. I turned slowly, staring at the leader of the Skulls, the very man whose whole existence revolves around torturing and killing me. I sagged slightly, giving a humorless chuckle as I shook my head.

"I should have known."

_**xXx**_

_**Narrative POV**_

"You guys should have your own tab," the nurse teased, finishing wrapping a bandage around Yusei's chest. Everyone laughed softly, glad to see the hospital personal were more interested in treating everyone's wounds than finding out how they got them in the first place. First they bring Julie in with a bullet in her head. Then Jesse ends up with multiple broken ribs and bruises everywhere, including a slightly sprained wrist. Next Atem showed up with multiple stab wounds and finally Yusei showed up, more broken ribs that Jesse and a gunshot wound.

"Just add it to Julie's bill, Nurse. I'll cover it all," Nathan said, raising his hands when everyone began to object. "I'm paying for everything and that's final."

The nurse smiled. "Very well, Mr. Carter." She stood up and bowed in respect. "Well, I'll be leaving you all alone." She left the room, closing the door softly behind her.

"So now the only Skull that remains is the leader, right?" Hassleberry asked, looking around. Everyone nodded.

"Yeah, Giese, Kalin, Camula, and Bakura are all dead." Jesse bounced Maria and his knee as he held Julie's hand.

"It's almost over," Jim said, looking around at everyone.

"Thank goodness," Yugi said, breathing a sigh that was almost relief.

"Yug, do you mind if I ask you something?" Joey asked, looking at him.

Yugi shrugged. "What's on your mind, Joey?"

"Why are you guys here? Shouldn't you be back at the mansion?"

Everyone else looked up at him, curious looks on their faces.

"Well, no. Jaden called and said that Atem told him the house was compromised." Yugi looked at Atem. "Didn't you?"

"No. Why would I have any reason to believe the house might have been compromised?"

Yugi frowned. "Jaden said Bakura told you that we were all in danger where we were."

"Bakura said no such thing and even if he did, why would I tell Jaden? I would have contacted you myself."

"But why would Jaden call and lie to you?" Jack asked.

"He wouldn't," Jesse said, looking a bit worried. "Jaden doesn't even know what compromised means, so how could he use it properly?"

Everyone looked at each other.

"I'm calling him," Aster ripped out his cell phone and began dialing. After a moment he snapped it shut. "Damn, it's off."

"I can't get through via the walkie-talkie either," Tristan said.

"Try Tony," Jesse ordered. Jess pulled out her cell phone and dialed Tony, but hung up after a moment. Jesse made a face. "Let me guess, right to voicemail?"

She nodded.

"His walkie-talkie isn't working either."

"This isn't good," Serenity said.

"No, it isn't," Jim agreed, looking around. He looked ready to speak again when someone interrupted him.

"Ugh."

"Julie!" Alexis gasped, looking at her. Everyone quickly looked at the bed, seeing that Julie was indeed slowly coming to. Her eyes were pulled tighter until they slowly blinked open, her pupils slowly adjusting to the light.

"Uh," she groaned, using her free hand to rub her forehead. "My head is killing me."

"It almost did," Jesse said, smiling softly. She looked at him, confused.

"You look like hell," she said, noting all the bruises and cuts on his face.

"I'm not the one in the hospital bed."

Julie looked down at herself then back at him, even more confused. "I don't understand, what's going on?"

"Jewels, don't you remember anything?" Nathan asked, moving closer to her. She frowned and looked down at the sheets, a thinking look on her face. After a moment, she slowly looked up and around the room.

"Where's Jaden?"

"We don't know," Joey said. "We can't get a hold of him, but he should be okay. I mean, Tony's with him."

Julie shot up then, nearly jumping out of the bed. "WHAT!"

"Julie, calm down!" Jesse tried to tug her back into bed, but she jerked away from him.

"What's wrong, Julie?" Atem asked, looking concerned. She glared at him.

"What do you think! Isn't it obvious?"

"Let's pretend it isn't and you become kind and explain it to us," Kaiba snapped.

She just glared at him. "Tony's the one who shot me and killed Camula!"

Everyone grew quiet.

"What?" Jess whispered.

"That can't be true," Bastion said.

"Oh, it is! I stared right at him as he shot me!" She was glaring around the room.

"But why would Tony shoot you and kill Camula?" Yusei asked.

"Because _he's the leader of the Skulls!_"

…

…

…

"We've been played!" Crow screamed. Everyone quickly got up.

"Tony must have somehow tricked us out of the mansion! That has to be where he and Jaden are!" Yugi said.

"Well what are we still doing here!" Joey ran out of the room, everyone following him.

"Julie, you stay here," Jesse said, trying to hand her Maria.

"No way, I'm coming too!" She got out of bed, pulling on the clothes that were sitting on the end of the bed.

"You were just shot, Julie! Stay here with Maria!" Jesse grabbed her arm, already have handed off Maria to Nathan.

Julie glared at him. "We don't have time to argue! I'm coming along and you're not going to change my mind!"

They glared at each other for another moment, would have been longer if Alexis hadn't screamed for them to hurry.

"Fine, but you stay close." Jesse grabbed her hand and they ran out of the room, sprinting after everyone else. Nathan stayed behind in the room with Maria.

"I can't believe I fell for that cheap trick," Yugi said.

Jess looked at him. "Don't feel bad, Yugi. Tony tricked us all."

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

"I really am an idiot," I said, shaking my head. "I can't believe I ever trusted you. All of the signs were there, pointing to you as the leader, Tony."

Tony smiled, gun still pointed at me. A skull and crossbones pendent hung around his neck, proving he was aligned with the Skulls. "Don't feel bad, Jaden. Every single one of your friends and so called reinforcements fell for my act." He made a face. "Except for that bitch Julie, but she never really figured out who I was either."

"Julie didn't know you weren't with us, she just didn't trust you. It's just part of who she is."

Tony's smile widened. "Is that why all of you wrote off her distrust in me?" He laughed. "Well fancy that! Julie helped me rather than hurt me."

"Is that why you tried to kill her? More than once?"

Tony looked surprised. "What? You don't think I sent my Skulls after her simply because she was a Blood."

I snorted. "Please, if you were to send all of your Skulls after one person it certainly wouldn't have been Julie."

He chuckled, nodding. "You are smarter than you give yourself credit for." He looked at me, smiling. "All right, sense you're going to die here I might as well tell you everything, just so you can die knowing that I beat you in every way, shape, and form."

'_We'll see about that._' I narrowed my eyes at him. "Well, I'm all ears."

"I'm a lawyer, Jaden, and my specialty is inheritance. My most recent client was named Ezekiel Francis Drake the third. Just in case that name doesn't ring any bells, Melanie Drake was Julie's mother. Therefore, Ezekiel Francis Drake the third is Julie's grandfather."

"So? What does her long lost grandfather have to do with you wanting her dead?"

He smirked wickedly. "Everything." He took a step closer to me, gun still completely level. "You see, Jaden, Mr. Drake was a multi-millionaire, who would only grow richer even after death. But, sadly, he had no family except for his runaway daughter." Tony looked at me. "He didn't even know about Julie until he hired a private eye to find Melanie."

"But instead of finding Melanie he found Julie."

Tony pointed at me. "See? You _are _smarter than you think you are. That's right, he found Julie. And you know what he did, even though he's never once met her?"

"No, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me."

"He rewrote his will so everything of his was left to Julie…_everything!_ All his money, all his power, everything he possessed would go to her." He glared at me. "And I simply couldn't allow that."

"Why? So what if Julie had a lot of money, what does it matter to you?"

"I could care less about the money. Mr. Drake has **power**, and lots of it. This power won't die with him. Like I just said, Julie would inherit it."

"And you want it."

"Just a little, but I was more interested in what she could do for you and everyone around you."

I narrowed my eyes at him, confused. He was slowly pacing the room, gun pointed at me the entire time. "What do you mean?"

"New lives, for all of you. This whole gang nonsense would seem like a bad nightmare with what she could do for you." Tony stopped and looked at me, leaning closer. "And why would I want _anyone _to have the power to make all your pain go away?" He lowered the gun slightly and pulled the trigger, shooting me in my leg.

"Agh!" I dropped down and clutched my leg, hissing in pain.

"The answer is I wouldn't!" he snapped, baring his teeth. "So I took matters into my own hands."

"Even if you managed to eliminate Julie you still wouldn't get anything!" I argued.

"Wrong, I'd get everything."

"HOW!"

"I was the default beneficiary. If Julie died, went missing, or refused to inherit, then I would in her place." He smiled. "I helped Mr. Drake through a lot, so he felt his fortune and power would be safe with me."

"If only he knew what kind of monster you really were," I growled. Tony frowned and aimed his gun, shooting me again, only in the shoulder. "Gah!" I collapsed back, clutching my shoulder with one hand, trying to stop the bleeding.

"I guess you're right, but it doesn't matter. I'll simply kill Julie once I'm finished with you. I'll still win."

"Hurray for you, Tony, if that is your real name." I looked up at him from my place on the floor. "You've won, so why are you still here?"

"Oh, I'm not done with our little game." He tapped the barrel of his gun against his palm. "And don't you want more answers? You managed to figure out my interest in Julie's death but you have yet to ask me a very important question." He looked at me, a completely fake hurt expression on.

"And what have I forgotten to ask?"

"Well, it's actually two things." He held up two fingers, dropping one so he only held up one. "The first one is fairly obvious."

"Don't you know? I'm quite dense."

He chuckled and shook his head. "No, you're not. You're quite brilliant actually, if given the right incentives that is." He sighed and looked at me closely. "Don't you want to know who killed your little blue haired friend Syrus?"

My body went limp, blood draining from my face as I stared at Tony. "Did…did _you _kill Sy?"

He smirked and leaned back, clapping his hands together. "Give Mr. Densehead a gold star! That's right, Genius, I killed your little friend."

"Why! Syrus never did anything to you!"

Tony pointed his gun at me. "Ah, almost true! But you're little friend was about to do something I simply couldn't allow."

"What?"

"He snooped where he shouldn't have snooped and found out who I really was, that I really was the leader of the Skulls." Tony dropped down so he was crouched a few feet away from me. "And he was going to tell you even though I warned him of the consequences."

I stared at Tony, too numb to feel any real shock or anger or…anything. "You threatened Syrus?"

"Of course!" Tony stood up and began to walk around the room again, simply tapping the barrel of the gun against his hand. "I pulled a gun out and everything, which I thought had done the trick. Syrus looked ready to die on the spot, but only because he was so scared." He stopped and looked at me. "But during the next two days after he discovered who I was, he must have found some serious guts."

"What do you mean?" I was getting extremely lost.

"He was going to tell you about me, using his 'personal item' excuse so he could get out of the house and catch you at the park." Tony chuckled. "Thankfully Yugi refused to let him leave unless he had some back up, and I was more than willing to accompany him." He smirked at me, causing my stomach to clench slightly.

"So, what? You killed Syrus to keep your cover?"

He shrugged. "Pretty much, but you should feel honored, Jaden."

"Why?"

"Don't you see? Syrus died trying to give you very important information; he died trying to help you." Tony whipped a fake tear from his eye. "He was such a good friend."

"Sy," I whispered, looking away from Tony and at the ground. '_Did you really die just trying to help me?_'

Tony fired his gun again, the bullet entering my leg parallel to the first shot.

"Argh!" I pressed both hands against my leg, hissing my breath between my teeth.

"I'm not done! Don't you want to know the second question you should be asking?" He didn't look happy that was ignoring him.

"Honestly, Tony, I could care less right now."

He cocked his head to the side. "Come now, Jaden, I'm about to set you free. The least you could do is at least fain your attention."

I paled and looked at him closely. "You're about to kill me?"

"Not quite yet, but I'm about to tell you news that will finally free you."

"And what's that?"

He stopped pacing and looked at me. "You and I," he began, motioning between us with his gun, "are not really brothers."

…

"What?" That wasn't the news I was expecting, but he was right; something did seem to break away from inside me.

"That's right; you and I have absolutely no blood relation."

I shook my head slowly. "That's not possible. The DNA tests…"

He cut me off saying, "Forged. I have a buddy in the lab and he was more than willing to fake the results for me." He winked at me. "You could say he owed me."

"But why would you fake DNA tests just to prove that you were my brother?" I looked at him, shaking my head. "Things just aren't adding up here, Tony."

"Well allow me to be your calculator." He cleared his throat. "You could say that I faked the results just so I could gain your trust and get closer to Julie."

"Is that why?"

He chuckled. "No, but that would have made a good excuse." He shook his head. "No, the real reason, the 'x' factor in this equation has one name." He paused, probably so he could be dramatic, before he whispered, "Kaylee."

I can't take any more of these surprises; they're going to kill me.

"Kaylee? As in the little girl from my old orphanage?" As in the little girl who gave me the locket that Alexis now wore around her neck.

Tony nodded slowly. "The little girl from the orphanage to you, but I knew Kaylee in a different way."

"Really? What way is that?" I asked.

He stopped moving and glared heatedly at me. "She was my sister."

"Your **what**?"

"**SISTER!**" He shot me again, this time going straight through my already injured arm.

'_Four,_' I thought softly, looking at Tony as I clutched my arm.

"You found her body in an alley, right? Isn't that right, Jaden?" He was shaking now, his arm no longer steady. Talking about Kaylee was getting to him physically.

'_Maybe…_' I nodded. "Yes, that's how I found her body."

"Did you know I found her first, and I found her alive?" His voice was strained as he remembered everything. "Did you know she died in my arms? Did you know that with her last breaths that she told me why she was there, dying?"

"No, Tony, obviously I don't know any of this! How can I? I hadn't seen Kaylee since Jess and I ran away from the orphanage! Then how do I find her after many years? DEAD IN AN ALLEY! How the fuck am I supposed to know what happened between the time I left her at the orphanage and when I found her in the alley?"

"SHUT UP!" Tony fired again, but this time it was only a warning shot.

'_Five._'

"Well, here's what she told me. A Skull found her. He figured out about your past at the orphanage and through that headmaster, he discovered Kaylee. They were going to use her, against you." Tears were pooling in Tony's eyes. For a second I almost felt sorry for him, but then I remembered he was a murderous psychopath that killed one of my best friends.

"But she wouldn't admit to knowing you! They tortured her and did unspeakable things to her but she kept silent, for **you**!" The tears ran down his cheeks. "Her very last words were: 'I'm glad I was able to die protecting him for a change.'" He cocked his head lightly to the side. "She died saving your worthless ass. There was no way I was going to let you get away with that."

"But I didn't kill her! The Skulls did! And look who you're leading now! Now that you're the leader of the Skulls, you've now had a hand in killing your sister!"

"Shut up!" He aimed the gun at me and pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. He looked at the gun in confusion.

"You're out of bullets, and out of chances." I jumped up and tackled him against the wall. He grunted in pain, the gun slipping from his fingers. He raised his leg up, kneeing me in the chest. I just grabbed his leg and swung him around, throwing him into the couch; the back broke off and it and Tony fell on the ground. Just when I thought I had the upper hand, Tony amazed me once more.

He jumped up and flipped over the couch, grabbing the collar of my shirt and flipping me over his back, slamming me onto the coffee table. I shattered it and groaned in pain, feeling wood and glass beneath my back. I forced my eyes open, seeing that I was staring down the barrel of a gun.

'_Damn! A clutch piece!_'

"This war is over." Tony released the safety on the gun. "Goodbye, Jaden Yuki."

And the gun fired.

_**xXx**_

_**Narrative POV**_

Everyone froze on the walkway, looking up at the house.

"Did everyone else hear the gunshot?" Jim asked, looking around. Jesse and Julie looked at each other before sprinting into the house, everyone else hot on their heels. Jesse slammed through the door and turned into the living, stopping in his tracks.

"God," Kaiba said, covering his mouth with his hand. The scene before all of them was gruesome. Blood was…not everywhere, but it wasn't sparse. Pools of it were on the floor, especially beneath Jaden, who lay motionless on the shattered coffee table. Tony was on the ground as well, more blood around and underneath him. Furniture and other things were broken, casualties in this battle for life.

"Not again," Jesse whispered, shaking his head slowly. Flashbacks of last year's last battle, the one between Mark and Adrian, in which both brothers killed one another. This scene before them was an exact replica in that darkest moment of the Blood-Crib war.

"No, not again."

Everyone gasped and looked toward the scene, seeing something that shocked them all.

"Jaden!" Jess yelled, seeing her brother slowly standing up. He kept his backs to them, turning around slowly. Everyone saw that he was injured, severely injured, but he was alive. In his right hand he held a small gun; _his_ clutch piece.

"Tony killed Camula and he tried to kill Julie," he said, still staring down at the gun in his hand.

"We know," Akiza said.

"He killed Syrus." His hand clenched around the gun.

Everyone gasped softly, looking around at each other.

"But he didn't kill you," Atem said after a moment.

Jaden shook his head. "I'm so stupid," he whispered.

"If you're stupid then we're all stupid, Jaden. We all believed him," Jesse said. Jaden just sighed and looked back at Tony, who lay motionless on the floor. Slowly, he turned and looked up, seeing Alexis staring at him. He flinched and looked away, ashamed.

"No," she whispered, rushing over to him and throwing her arms around him. He froze in shock. She leaned back, turning his face so he was looking right at her. "You can no longer hide from me. All of you is what I want to see." She pulled his face toward hers, pressing her lips against his. "All of you," she whispered against his lips.

His arms wound around her, holding her tightly against him, kissing her back.

Just when things are starting to look up, everything changed.

"Die!"

Tony jumped up, eyes blazing and gun rising; he was through playing possum.

"Jaden!" everyone yelled. Quick as lightning, Jaden snapped his eyes open and raised his gun at Tony. His eyes went honey, and he fired his gun. The shot's sound echoed around the room, followed by another and then another. Jaden fired seven times, emptying his gun into Tony's chest. He only stopped when he heard the click of an empty container.

Tony's gun clattered to the floor as the man pressed his hands against his bleeding chest. He coughed up blood, falling to his knees. His body started to twitch slightly but he looked up at Jaden, managed a weak glare before his eyes rolled back in his head and he finished collapsing to the ground: dead.

Jaden slowly lowered his arm, his other one securely around Alexis' waist.

"Um, Jaden?" Joey called. Jaden looked at him, eyes still honey colored.

"What?" His voice was slightly different.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"What?"

Joey pointed at the ground behind Jaden. "What do you have against coffee tables? I mean, that's the second one you've destroyed in the last three days."

Jaden blinked once, looked behind him, and then burst out laughing, eyes turning back to chocolate brown. Slowly, Jaden's laughter spread around the room until everyone was laughing, only stopping when Jaden regained his composure. He sighed and rubbed his free hand over his face, having dropped the empty gun to the floor.

"I don't know about the rest of you guys," he began looking at everyone. "But I'm ready to go home."

"Are we sure there's no more cults out to get us?" Jesse asked. Jaden chuckled and shrugged.

"Eh, let's worry about that tomorrow. Right now let's just get the hell out of here."

Jesse pointed at him. "Now that sounds like a plan."

Everyone slowly left the mansion, all in their own world of relief. The Skulls were finally gone, and the Bloods were finally free.

_**xXx**_

_YES! The war is OVER! :D_

_This chapter was way longer than I thought it would be! XD_

_So, anyway, one more chapter to go! PLEASE REVIEW!_

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


	38. New Lives

_Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh GX or Jess, she still belongs to ladydream-chan.**_

_**Claimer: YAY! This ENTIRE STORY IS MINE! And the one or two or three OCs that show up that aren't Jess are also mine. :)**_

**Final Chapter!**

_**xXx**_

_**Jaden's POV**_

**Six Months Later…**

Little giggles filled the halls as the now eleven-month-old Maria wobbled down the halls. She was running, at least trying to. Her cheeks were bright red as she continued to giggle.

"I'm gonna get cha!" I teased, chasing after her. She looked back at me, giggled loudly, and tried to speed up. She couldn't go very far because she was still learning how to walk. So, to make sure she didn't trip and fall, I sped up and scooped her up. "I got you!"

She giggled loudly as I tossed her lightly in the air, catching her and tickling her some.

"Hey, now, don't make her laugh too much." Julie walked over to me, smiling. "She'll get sick again. Besides, I just fed her."

"Aw, come on, Julie. Everything's fine!" I assured her. Maria looked up at me, giggling as she reached up and started pulling my hair. "Ah, not nice!" I started to pull her hand out of my hair.

"See what you get?" Julie sighed and took her daughter from me, bouncing her on her hip. Maria giggled again and reached up, tugging on some of Julie's hair. "No, don't pull Mommy's hair."

"Mommy!" Maria cheered, clapping her hands. I smiled while Julie kissed the top of her baby's head. Maria was turning out to be a fast learner. She wasn't even a year old and she already knew how to walk (kind of) and talk (sort of). Well, she knew how to say 'mommy' and 'daddy'. That's about it.

"Geez," Julie sighed and shook her head, turning around and heading into the living room. I just continued to smile as I watched her go. I sighed and looked around the walkway I was standing in. Our lives had changed a lot since the death of the Skulls leader, Tony. My friends and I had graduated from Duel Academy, all of them moving onto to lives in the Pro League or continuing their education. Jim, Jesse, and I even joined the Pro League and we're all taking it by storm.

I chuckled and walked into the living room, seeing Julie sitting on the couch with Maria, Jesse, and Alexis. All of us were living together in a small townhouse in Ochi City. Surprisingly, after I told Julie about her apparent grandfather, she just shrugged it off.

"_Don't you care about it at all?" I asked her. She shrugged and continued to tuck Maria in, putting her down for the night._

"_I guess, but Nathan and I are still trying to come to terms with each other. The last thing I need is some rich grandfather trying to tell me what I should do." She looked at me, smiling. "Besides, why would we want his power to change our lives when we can change it ourselves?" _

And, in a way, that's exactly what we did. Still, her grandfather was now trying to contact her, to be a part of her life. I honestly couldn't tell who was more annoyed by it: Julie or Nathan.

Looking at Julie I remembered something we talked about a few months back, about what happened when Tony shot her and Camula.

"_You know, just before Tony shot me, I heard someone calling out to me," she said, looking at me over the table._

_I looked at her confused, drinking some water. "Who would it have been? You guys were all alone."_

_She blushed. "Actually, I think it was Jesse."_

_I paused a moment before smiling. "That's sweet." _

_She tossed a wadded up napkin at my head, causing me to laugh._

I sighed and looked away from the trio (and a half if you counted Maria) to look at the mantel of the fireplace. There were some pictures up there; one was of me and my friends at graduation a few months back. Another was the one of Chris and Emmy, the one Julie saved before Zane blew their apartment sky high.

Oh! Speaking of Zane, here's a little side note, he's better…sort of. His dark days with the Skulls messed him up pretty bad, both physically and mentally. But he's coming back, turning into the Zane we all knew back at my first year at Duel Academy. Last I knew, Atticus and him were living together.

I chuckled and shook my head, picking a different picture up from the mantel; it was one of Syrus. I learned that it was Tony who killed Syrus, and that he died only because he was trying to help me. Sy was a true pal and I'll always regret that I wasn't able to save him. But I avenged him when I killed Tony.

I sighed and set the picture down.

"Hey, Jaden," Jesse called. I looked back at him.

"Hm?"

He waved his hand, beckoning me over. I sighed and walked over, sitting down on the edge of the coffee table.

"Whoa, easy there, Killer. Show that table some mercy," Jim teased as he walked into the room. I shoved him as he walked past, causing him to laugh.

"Hey, Jim." Jesse slapped Jim's hand in welcome before looking back at me. "Anyway, are we going to Aster's big duel next week? You know he invited everyone."

I shrugged and folded my hands behind my head. "Sure, unless you have someplace better to be." I looked at Julie, raising an eyebrow.

He shoved me off of the table. "Funny."

I snickered and sat back up. I folded my arms across Alexis' lap, resting my chin on them. She smiled down at me and ran her hands over my head, almost like I was cat. I smiled back at her and looked back at Jesse, who was talking to Jim and Julie.

Jesse was better, much better. I never noticed how different he really acted when Giese was alive; now that the hunter was really dead, Jesse was almost a completely different person. I never noticed before how cautious Jesse was about forming permanent attachments to people, which is weird to think about because of how attached he was to Julie and Maria.

I chuckled as I remembered when I figured this out.

"_You need to relax or you're going to have a heart attack," I said, gripping Jesse's shoulders and spinning him around. He was previously hunched over a sink breathing deeply, trying to keep from throwing up._

"_How can I relax? I'm so nervous, Jay!"_

"_About what?"_

_He glared at me, turning back to the sink. I dug my fingers into his shoulder and spun him back around. "You turn back toward that sink and I'm going to drown you in it."_

"_Then you go ahead and have fun explaining to Julie why I'm not there!" He turned back, totally ignoring my threat._

_I just sighed and wrapped my arm through his, tugging him back toward the couch in the room we were waiting in. "What are you so nervous about?" I asked as I shoved him onto the couch. He began wringing his hands, looking around as if someone was going to jump out of the shadows. "Jesse!" I snapped my fingers in front of his face._

"_It's just so…permanent. After today, it's nothing but forever."_

_I looked at him in surprise, well, more like he was a complete idiot. "Um, Jess?" _

_He looked up at me, confused. "What?"_

"_You do know that forever is kind of what a wedding implies, right?"_

Yep, Jesse and Julie officially tied the knot. _Mozeltoff! _Yeah, not really a big surprise.

Before I could muse anymore about what happened in the last six months, the front door slammed open. "I'm home!" Jess called, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Slam it harder, Jess! I think it's still on its hinges!" I yelled back. She walked into the room, dressed in a middle school uniform. That's right, Jess is a student at Ochi City Middle School. Our lives have changed a lot.

Something buzzed in my pocket and I pulled out my cell phone, seeing who was texting me: it was Atem. I looked up and saw Jesse looking at his phone; we looked at each other.

And then it hasn't changed at all.

"We've got to go," Jesse said, kissing both Maria and Julie before standing up. I got up and kissed the top of Jess' head, sending her upstairs to do her homework before I walked back into the walkway; Alexis followed me.

"Atem text you?" she asked, cocking her head lightly to the side.

I nodded and knelt down, shoving my feet into my shoes. "Yeah. He'll be here in a few minutes." I stood up and turned toward Alexis; she had a worried look in her eyes. I smiled and took her left hand, saying, "Relax, Lex. I think I know what I'm doing."

She made a face at me. "I know that. I just wonder what I'm doing sometimes."

I squeezed her fingers, raising her hand and kissing the ring that lay on her ring finger. It wasn't a wedding band or even an engagement ring. It was a simple promise ring but not the normal kind. It wasn't a promise that we'd get married someday, it was a promise for something much closer to present time; it was a promise that I would always come home at night, that'd I'd always be there when she needed me, no matter what.

And that was good enough for Alexis, at least for now.

"You know what you're doing. You always have."

She smiled at me and pulled her hand free, pressing it against my cheek as she kissed me lightly on the lips. I returned the slightest amount of pressure before pulling back, grabbing my jacket off of the hook behind me.

"I'll see you tonight."

She smiled at me. "I better."

I smiled back before stepping out into the bright sunlight. I looked up, shielding my eyes with my hand, contemplating everything that occurred during the war with the Skulls, even the war with the Cribs the year before. Sure, things could have ended much better than they did but at least they ended. At least for most of us.

Someone honked their car horn, pulling me out of my thoughts. I looked to see Atem idling in front of me. He leaned across the center of the seats and opened the passenger side door, asking, "Are you coming along or are you going to burn your retinas out staring at the sun all day?"

I rolled my eyes and got in the car, closing the door. "So what's going on?"

Atem eased his foot of the brake pedal and started driving away, saying, "Seto believes he has a lead on Dartz is."

"Sweet! Where?"

I stared at Atem as he began to explain what Seto learned, smirking at all the little hand motions he did. He probably knew I wasn't really listening but he kept talking. With a sigh I turned away from him and looked out the window. After a moment he stopped talking and we drove in silence.

"Yusei told me he believes he's discovered where Goodwin is hiding out," he said after a minute. I nodded, still staring out the window.

"Yeah, Jesse told me last night." I looked at Atem. "I didn't realize that you and Yusei were such good buddies."

He just shrugged, flicking his turn signal. "When you shed blood with a person, Jaden, you can't really just leave them."

Wasn't that the truth?

As Atem drove, I silently pondered the strange turn my life had taken; well, maybe not that strange. After the Skulls were eliminated, I ended up joining the Pyramids. As if that wasn't a big surprise, Jesse ended up joining the Signers. The funny part is that we both still carry a lot of weight; I guess you could call us honorary leaders. Still, the Skulls did win in a way. The Bloods _are _dead and never coming back. But I guess once you're a Blood, you're always one.

I sighed and rubbed my eyes, mumbling, "Let me guess, Dartz and Goodwin have been spotted together."

Atem looked at me, smiling. "Yeah. We're working with the Signers. That shouldn't be too much of a problem, should it?"

I shook my head and got out of the car. I noticed Jesse's car parked off to one side. "Not with me. I'm more worried about Kaiba and Jack."

Atem clapped his hand on my shoulder, saying, "Don't worry, Yusei and I have that all covered." He squeezed my shoulder. "Let's go inside and figure out what to do." He released my shoulder and walked into the building. But I stood there, looking back up at the sky, the sun now behind me. I shoved my hands in my jean pockets, thinking about everything that's happened to me, mainly in the last two years. As I wondered why I was still doing this crazy gang thing, I came to this conclusion:

I have survived my fair share of fights and wars; my life for as long as I can remember has been fraught with violence and people trying to kill me. You'd think I'd be done with it by now but that isn't the case. The ability to protect, that's why I'm now a Pyramid. As a Blood I lost great friends and there's no sure thing that by being a Pyramid that any of that will change, but I've got to do what I do best: duel and fight.

_**xXx**_

_And done!_

_Yay, __Revenge of the Skulls__ is now complete! I hope you guys enjoyed the complete story and the final chapter; it didn't turn out exactly as I pictured it but I do like it. (sigh) Final chapters are the worst to write, too many loose ends to tie. _

_I hope you guys enjoyed this wild and crazy ride! I'll be back in a few months with _Springtime Love!_ Hopefully I'll see you guys then!_

_Okay, you guys know the drill: _

**REVIEW!**

**-x-Anime-Queen-2011-x-**

**-o-Mel-o-**


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